


HISTORY

by thejeeperswife



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age - Various Authors, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Writing & Publishing, Chess, City Elf, Crush, Don't copy to another site, Elves, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy, Ginger Curly Hair, Happy Ending, High School, History, Later Smut, Longing, Magic, Missed Chances, Modern Thedas, Name Calling, Nicknames, No Angst, No angst allowed, Pining, Plants, Pranks, Professors, Protectiveness, Research, Secret Crush, Smut, Student Papers, Teaching, Teasing, The Second Inquisition, drama club, hey arnold - Freeform, nosy family, nosy friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:48:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22041934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejeeperswife/pseuds/thejeeperswife
Summary: After a relaxing and fruitful sabbatical, successful History Professor Cullen Rutherford returns to Kirkwall University expecting his colleagues and students to be overjoy with all the beneficial research he collected.  Alas, the exclusive history department has been flipped on its head!  Now, Cullen’s high school nemesis, Neria Surana, works there and immediately continues her wild ginger curly haired ways.  Magical pranks!  Weird teasing nicknames!  Unicorn pomade!?  It’s high school all over again!Or is it?  Has Cullen misunderstood this genius historian in high school as he has now?  Why is he always wanting to be around her despite her wild and bullish ways?  And there is definitely no feelings blooming there…right?There’s too much history to unpack…Theme Song:  "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service*FYI:  Last two chapters are Explicit.  If not interested in explicit content, stop reading after Chapter 5.*
Relationships: Cullen Rutherford/Female Surana, Cullen Rutherford/Female Warden, Cullen Rutherford/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 25





	1. Gingers Don't Have Souls

**Author's Note:**

> So, this short story formed from a random conversation on [my Tumblr](https://thejeeperswife.tumblr.com/) a few weeks ago. After a discussion about mage Amells, I thought about of a DA Origins mage that was Cullen's true love and not just an infatuation. 
> 
> By the end of that conversation, my Neria Surana was born. I love her so much that I had to write _something_ with her in it. As a history researcher, I knew I've always wanted to write something with History Professor Cullen Rutherford. Two and two linked together, and thus THIS!
> 
> Already one-shots beyond this story keep popping up in my head. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Chapter Theme Song: "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" by the Monkees  
> For all my fan fictions, I give the story and each chapter a theme song and make a [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Hj9kXTPLf6NGJwMHaf81Q?si=vvIKMtgmSHKIiwURwBt7VA) and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw4onCkm8zQYUqa96OKM1PTI5yUnr7wOO) playlist for you all. Make sure to subscribe and follow the playlist to stay up to date!

Cullen always enjoyed the beginning of new school year. There was something about the late summer air that called students to the classroom. These young adults will fill their minds with knowledge so they may spread that wisdom to the rest of the world in their chosen professions. It just excited him more than he thought possible.

Cullen’s head was high, a grin across his face to the point it tug on his upper lip scar from his time in the service. The assistant professor waltzed across the Kirkwall campus towards the Gallows. Well, that was what the graduate students called the building housing Humanities, English, Sociology & Anthropology, Languages, and his specialization History. The up and coming upper-level students felt like they were constantly trapped in their respected departments. Undergraduate students scrambled between buildings, staring at their schedules and worrying about missing the introduction to their new courses. It was organized chaos, despite all its craziness it all worked. While not Cullen’s chosen way of doing things, it worked for the first day of classes. Well, except parking. Parking on campus will always be flawed.

The blond Fereldan was happy to be back after a year sabbatical in the Frostback Mountains combing lost archives for his newest book. Smelling ages-old paper and books, reading historical first-person perspectives, and basking in libraries’ relaxing silence wiped away years of personal struggles. It naturally healed Cullen, a home without his belongings. 

The former templar came back with hard drives compacted with data ready for further analysis. If he completed his first book within the academic year, he might be tenured by the next academic year. He already had two articles pending publication in major peer-reviewed journals that will already make his tenure defense that much more tempting. It will be hard work, but Cullen’s life had been anything but easy since childhood. He earned his degrees and grades. He fought tooth and nail for each and every praise and award he received. 

Cullen’s department supported him in his academic venture, especially since his research influenced theirs. Everyone hired contributed to the massive knowledge of the pan-Dragon Age Second Inquisition, a major world-wide ages-old organization that few explored until the last decade. Yes, the major names have been studied and written about hundreds of times, but few explored the culture and influence of those below the major leaders. It was a revisionist approach of a well-known time period that touched all parts of life and kingdoms in Thedas. 

As for the history department, the faculty, staff, administrators, and students developed a unique discipline that did not embrace one part of the Inquisition’s history but all collaborated and exchanged information much like the Inquisition did for all of Thedas during the Dragon Age. Each professor specialized in a specific element of the Inquisition and together they collective covered all aspects. This academic program started this way of academic study, thus everyone wanted to be part of the exclusive analyses. To say you worked or studied under the pan-Inquisition Program at Kirkwall University meant publishers begged for your writings and conferences offered funds to speak to attendees.

Graduate students throughout Thedas applied for the inclusive doctorate program. Alas, only the most dedicated and unique applicants were accepted by the major professor to study to begin the cycle again of history’s next academic generation. Some will become archivists, while others will follow Cullen’s path and become professors at other universities.

Speaking of graduate students, Delrin Barris and Rylen Mackenzie owed him new bibliographies for their composition exam questions. They will take their exams mid-semester. If they successful defend that they knew all available historiography, both men will become All But Dissertation (ABD) students, Cullen’s first. It fit for everyone involved because these men had been templars too living a life beyond Chantry service.

Finally reaching his office, Cullen laid down his leather messenger bag and opened the windows. The air was stagnant after sitting so long undisturbed. A layer of dust gathered on the books shelves stuffed to the brim with military history, meta-analysis historiographies, and Inquisition publications. Maybe when the cleaning crew comes around he will ask for a quick dusting while he taught his first entry-level course. He came in early to actual get a parking spot and ahead of the first day of school craziness. He needed to review his medieval Fereldan syllabus before making copies.

“…Welcome! I was worried you might not find parking.”

Cullen’s ringing ears perked hearing the Graduate Head Professor Josephine Montilyet’s accented voice ring down the hall in the main department lobby. She was always one of the early-arriving professors despite having the most graduate courses in the evenings. She always looked right as rain, mimicking the medieval Orlesian aristocracy she researched passionately.

“Let me grab the keys from Leliana’s office and show you around. It is terrible you could not be here earlier in the month. The first day of courses is a terrible time to settle in.” Josephine continued as her Antivan accent sang throughout the department. From all the shut doors, it was likely Cullen, her, and this mystery person as the first one there that morning.

Cullen did not hear the person’s response, his amber gaze focused on his laptop connecting to the university’s wiki. He dove into teaching mode. It will be his fifth year at the university, but only fourth one teaching. He constantly perfected his PowerPoints and teaching approaches trying to make Fereldan famines, blights, and civil wars interesting for a bunch of freshman non-history majors taking the class to fulfill a core writing requirement. They will not care about anything he presents until the mid-term and their first papers. However today, they will just complain he has an attendance policy that is a fifth of their final grade. An easy accomplishment if they do not party the night before his Monday, Wednesday, and Friday course or actually wanted to get their money’s worth from their tuition expenses. With tuition and student loans getting higher interest rates each year, they would-

“-Ah! He’s here. Let me introduce you to Dr. Rutherford since he could not be here for your interviews. He’ll be your office neighbor.” Josephine explained, her voice crescendo as her high heels clicked against the industrial carpet. “He’s quite agreeable and can assist with any questions you may have if Leliana or I are not around.”

Cullen winced and pinched his nose, nudging his reading glasses to the side. That was right. While he was gone, the department hired a new professor, someone specialized in the Grey Wardens. After the whole debacle of discovering Dr. Tom Reiner never was certified or published on the topic, they were without a warden specialist. Reiner still had all the academic qualifications on enlisted men in the Orlesian military so his curriculum shifted to that. He excelled at understanding refugee defenses during the Mage-Templar War. Just do not ask him about Grey Warden commanders or the Calling.

Suddenly, the Fereldan wished he had read this professor’s CV before meeting them. Not knowing anything about a historian’s specialization was a major insult. The person likely knew his research as part of the interview process. He or she would have detailed knowledge of other researchers to possible get the available tenure position.

“Hey there, Dr. Noodle Head!”

Cullen’s whiskey eyes widen as his reading glasses slipped down his nose and barely hung onto his ears. He knew that voice. The high-pitch nasal condescending tone rumbled down his spine until he suddenly wanted to jump out the window. All his adolescent troubles popped in his head. All his lost opportunities that made him work three times as hard to excel in high school. Ginger curly hair so big that it took up tight seat aisle at Kinloch Hold High School. That freckled face that resembled the night sky in the middle of winter, cold and dead.

The trembling professor slowly turned in his office chair towards the door, the rusty hinges squeaking and tore at his last remaining nerve. All of Cullen’s happiness from a successful year researching evaporated with the Kirkwall humidity. His scarred lip twitched as a very short woman to Josephine right came into view.

“Neria Surana.” Cullen did not recognize his own baritone raspiness.

Taking off his reading glasses, Cullen slowly studied the woman he remembered terrorized his whole middle and high school years. She avoided heels with a passion, preferring her petit height over making herself artificially taller. Unlike middle school, she wore a loose navy blue jumpsuit with baggy pants she must have hemmed to not drag on the industrial carpet. A blazer covered her bare freckled arms. To finish the look, the jumpsuit contained a cow lick tank top. On both wrists were at least a half dozen brackets of different metals, beads, and fabric. Around her neck below her tank’s scoop was a dangling necklace that matched her wild bracelets and oversized earrings that were still not bold enough to off-set her extra pointed elven ears.

Just as Cullen remembered was that wild red curly hair pulled back in a springy headband, although it pushed the crazy curls only so far out of her freckled pale face. Her brown eyes were slightly concealed by a pair of wide-lens glasses that barely clung onto her small pointed nose. Of course, that damn big mouth was colored with bright red lipstick that pulled her pointed chin and slightly round face together.

“I’m sorry? Did you two already meet?” Josephine questioned, glancing down at the redhead terror.

Neria smirked and glanced up at the Antivan. “You can say that. Cullen and I are old academic buddies. We’ve been learning together since middle school. Graduated the same high school in Redcliffe too.” Her brown eyes flicked back at the pale trembling man sitting at his desk. She lifted a leg and thrusted her elbow down. “Go Kinloch Hold High!”

Cullen just lazily blinked. He wished he was still on sabbatical. Anywhere but there.

“I see, Neria.” Josephine pursed her lips, trying to not giggle at the male professor who definitely did not look like he wanted to see his old high school nemesis. “Cullen, I assume you did not realized we hired Dr. Surana as our new Grey Warden specialist. My e-mail welcoming her to the faculty was opened by everyone but you. She is the most qualified from all our applicants. She just _clicked_ with the faculty and graduate students. Two new graduate students are studying under her already.”

“It’s such a shame you couldn’t be at the hiring meetings.” Neria sarcastically sighed at Cullen. She always did that, a way to belittle him and get a rise out of him. She did not do it to anyone else. It was only _him_ that received her hells. “We could have caught up like old times. Now being an associate professor, we can be buddies again!”

Cullen’s glare flashed to Josephine. “ _Associate professor?_ ”

Josephine bit her lip before eloquently stating, “The College was so impressed with her CV and academic employment that they feared she would not accept the position without being offered the same tenure as her last institution.”

Oh, Cullen was going to have words with their department head. “Of course.” He grumbled through his teeth. It was already happening. She had to always be right above him in grades, accomplishments, and titles. Cullen missed valedictorian by a point tenth of a GPA to _her._

“I better get in my office, Josie. I want to read before my first class. I’m so excited to teach History of the Grey Wardens! I get to use my _magic_ with it.” She flicked her fingers out just enough for a few pebbles and roots sprang from her fingertips.

She was a Maker-damned mage. Cullen could not believe he forgot that little tidbit. Neria enjoyed annoying the Templar ROTC during early morning drills by making tree roots pop up through the cross-country course. Only _he_ would be the one to trip and fall over them. Thank the Maker he never sprained his ankle or busted his head like a watermelon.

“You’re the primary Fereldan specialist, right _Sullen?_ Maybe we can collaborate on our upper undergraduate courses. Trade classes a few times, you know?”

She was already getting into his business. No, Cullen must put down his foot. But he did not say it then, chickening out just like in school. He found he could never stand up to her despite this breaking everything in Cullen’s mind. “I’ll think about.” He mumbled, turning back to this laptop, teeth grinding and a migraine threatening. He turned back to his laptop, a behavioral dismissal.

Neria kicked one of the chair rolls and giggled. “Have fun on your first day, Rutherfart!” Cullen jerked forward as she raced down to the next office with Josephine. Her nasally cackle rang through the whole history floor.

The blond Fereldan rubbed his sweaty face and groaned. He rolled his chair enough towards the front door to slam it close. The dry wall cracked as the metal vibrated on impact. “This is going to be the worst academic year _ever!_ ”

* * *

“Why her, Leliana?!” Cullen hollered as he stomped into his department’s head corner office and smacked the door closed.

By Friday, Cullen had enough. Every day there was another ‘surprise’ in his office even when he locked the door and set up measures to deter pranksters. It all just seemed to goat Surana on more. The more he asked for it the stop, the more other instances happened. Pudding cups in his mail box so when he reached in his fingers would be covered in it. Thankfully his mail remained shielded by plastic wrap. 

The last straw occurred when Cullen’s work pomade went missing. He had to walk to his first graduate course in the rain with no way to control his frizzy curly hair. All his graduate student busted out laughing at the noodle head entering the classroom. 

When the pomade did returned, the clay binder had been stained with pink glitter that he did not realize until _after_ he tamed his hair. Dorian called him ‘Commander Unicorn’, while all his master students wanted to take selfies with ‘the Pretty Pretty Princess of the Gallows.’ Someone—and he knew who—posted such a photo on the student lounge announcement board. Now, all the graduate students kept posting new nicknames for the history department’s Fereldan unicorn. _Other departments’_ faculty joked in passing about his dyed pink hair.

It was his locker all over again. Or his lunch bag. Or his gym shoes. Or his science project.

Department Head Leliana Rousseau lowered whatever paper she was reading. She studied Cullen. Tilting her head while her bobbed red hair cupped her jaw. “Who do you mean, Cullen?”

Cullen huffed and rolled his whiskey eyes. He flung himself into one of her office chairs in front of the desk. Her office was the largest on the department floor. It was close to the conference room. Like ‘bully sense’, the former templar knew the topic of discussion was next door laughing with her colleagues eating lunch.

“You can’t be blind to what has been happening around here!?” Cullen exclaimed with his arms out. “This whole department has turned into a zoo, and it is all _Surana’s_ fault!” He folded his arms over his chest and pouted like a little boy.

Leliana smirked briefly before giving him her complete attention. “Actually, I have never seen the faculty so happy at the beginning of the semester. Dorian has not snuck a wine bottle into his graduate classes yet. Iron Bull hasn’t knocked down a wall head banging after reading his first paper submission for his Qun capstone course. Solas has yet to enter my office demanding better tea in the kitchen. Most of all, Josie’s caffeine addiction has only hovered around two cups of espresso a day.”

Cullen frowned and looked away while the other continued her observations. “The graduate students have been very excited about their teaching assistantships. Josephine tells me none of them have complained about their annual stipends because they keep laughing at one of Neria’s jokes or her spunky nature. She’s lifted such a solemn group of academics that I thought only Adelheid Lavellan could do as dean.”

“Lavellan is the most I-Don’t-Give-A-Shit out of all the whole administration!” Cullen blurted about his Arts and Science College’s boss. “Surana is that element of chaos Lavellan appreciates after dealing with one of Provost Justinia’s edicts. No wonder they offered her transferred associate tenure.”

The department head leaned back and eyed her fellow academic. “Is that what this is about? The position titles and employment opportunities? I thought you were just a few publications away from getting tenure yourself.”

“Not just that.” Cullen leaned forward, combing his hair with a sweaty hair. He did not have any replacement pomade, so all his curls reappeared the longer he was out in Kirkwall late-summer humidity. “She waltzes in here and changes everything to her liking. When Josephine said she just clicked with everyone, I did not anticipate a train of students constantly in and out of her office and disrupting my work. Or how Vivienne and Solas ask her for advice covering a specific magical approach. Those two are so strict in the magic theory that the first time it happened, I fell out of my chair!”

The blond Fereldan sighed and pinched his nose. He felt his lip twitch the longer the hatred for that damn woman warred inside him. “I know I’ve been gone for a year and that she’s new. However, it’s like nothing I brought back from my archives searched benefitted anyone here in the Inquisition academia. Instead, I am the butt of endless pranks and jokes. Nothing’s change…”

Leliana’s lips slightly curled. “Josie told me you two went to high school together? How was your relationship then?”

“Awful.” Cullen roared and hung his head. “Since the first day she sauntered into seventh grade from her Circle elementary school, it was been constant hell. She bullied me, Leliana. It did not happen to anyone else _but me_. She invented all new nicknames to throw out when I was in the middle of a track meet or about to begin a presentation.”

Cullen pushed himself out of the chair. He knew he had to tell someone, and Leliana was a great friend since he retired from the templars. Cassandra and she helped him pick him up when he was honorable discharged after a major head injury. If he had been a second earlier, his head would been blown off by a Venatori roadside bomb during the Chantry’s Exalted March into the Imperium. Alas, he survived, but it ended his military career. They called him a hero for protecting his platoon, but he will forever live with bit of scalpel in his skull creating migraines and inducing seizures. His cut lip that screamed his military role for everyone to see. He had another appointment at Veteran Affairs to possibly get plastic surgery for the annoy tear.

Luckily, Leliana and Cassandra both knew Cullen loved history. They encouraged him to go back to school and get his doctorate in medieval military history. They were his best friends, people who understood how a childhood bully rattled him to the core. 

“Yet it wasn’t just that. It was how Surana constantly had to challenge me on everything. I had to keep up my grades to stay in ROTC and sports. It took days of studying, researching, and all-nighters to pass AP exams. Meanwhile, Surana would come in without even cracking a book and score the highest. She’s a genius! She graduated high school at the age of fifteen! It would have been earlier if it wasn’t for her twisted immaturity!” Cullen tossed up his hand, pacing getting faster each minute discussing the ginger wild child. “The tenure position did not surprise me. However, everything I have done has been a struggle, while she can do put her mind to anything and be fantastic at it.”

Cullen’s ranting escalated as the old wounds poured from his lips. “When I graduated, I was excited to get the farthest away from her. She gave me a sort of PTSD that every time I saw red curly hair in a crowd while a templar, I froze and wanted to hide. She is like a desire demon, sickly sweet and convincing you that everything is fine, while twisting your insides until you are begging the Maker to make it stop.”

Leliana tightened her lips into thin lines. “This has you really disturb.”

“I haven’t slept.” Cullen admitted, combing his hair with his trembling hand. “I haven’t touched my book or articles because I keep thinking I am not _good_ enough. That Surana will be better at all of it so why try? All my old doubts and fears haunt me. I love my job and this university, but if something doesn’t change _I’ve got to leave_!”

The redhead Orlesian stood up and rounded her desk. “We don’t want you to leave, Cullen. You are the best military analyst in southern Thedas. Your dissertation turned the whole discipline on its head. Your theories and research are revolutionary. That was why the committee wanted you here to establish our Inquisition analysis program. I know you suffer from many inner demons, but it makes you strong and vigilant.”

Leliana poked his shoulder playfully. “However, I think it is time to stand up to your childhood demon. Sit Neria down and tell her how her acts past and present harmed you. Explain you will not tolerate her antics anymore. She’s a sensible individual. We wouldn’t have hired her if she didn’t give into conditions.”

The Orlesian woman thought for a moment. Cullen recognized that look like when Leliana studied Dragon Age rogues, searching for reasons and secrets in dark corners. “She does not like seeing gloomy people. She feels there’s always something to smile about, thus her crazy and outrageous stunts. State to her how her actions have the opposite effect. If she does not listen, we’re adults and will bring order back from all this office chaos. I’ve allowed it because the academic’s year first week is tough for everyone.” Her icy blue eyes flashed back her mess desk. “To faculty specifically.”

Cullen exhaled and rubbed his head. “I do sound like I tattle-told the principal what the school ginger bully has been doing, huh?” He chuckled once. “You’re right. We’re all adults. It should be handled _like_ adults.” He swiped his hand across with determination. “Talk this through.” 

Alas, why did that terrify him so much that his heart might beat out of his chest?

His boss’ light blue eyes twinkled as a grin cut her usually neutral face. “I think you might be surprised about _why_ Neria has been so focused on you. It’s likely an answer you never considered now or in high school. She doesn’t do things without reason. _Get that reason._ ” Her knowing grin grew, her voice sweet and giddy. “Just let me know afterwards, hm?”

Cullen perked a brow. “Is this Leliana talking or your espionage research talking?

Leliana just shrugged. “I prefer to reference my religious research. Take this all on faith?”

The Fereldan professor tossed up his hand in a wave as he walked to the office door. “Okay. Thanks, Leliana. I needed to get that off my chest.”

They were adults.

Well, Cullen was an adult.

Surana was a _demon_ in a small adult elf’s body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What does Leliana think is going on? What is Cullen missing? What do you think of Neria Surana? Is she a terror demon that's haunted Cullen's whole life? Or has Cullen completely misunderstood everything about this petit elven wild child? Let me know in the comments!
> 
> I know I've used some terms that you might not know (historiography, compositions, etc.) If it is really confusing, please let em know and I can give an explanation as a footnote or something. This is just History (and wider academic) actions in a college department. I've been both a student, faculty, and administrator for universities, so sometimes I forget some terms are just applicable in that setting.
> 
> The whole idea of a pan-Inquisition program is based on the Atlantic Exchange History Program I graduated from. You don't just study for example Britain's colonization of the Americas, but the interactions of all countries and peoples occurring during that time. So for example, Britain's piracy shaping the Caribbean for all colonizing European countries in that region, as well the impact on native populations on those islands and mainland and the slaves brought from Africa to work the plantations. It's a really world-opening approach to history that makes you think of EVERYTHING and EVERYONE involved and avoid exclusion bias.
> 
> When I was thinking about this short story, I knew I wanted to use the Dragon Age Inquisition as the overarcing influence for all things in Thedas, which it was in the game. That's what I meant but this exclusive historical analysis. *pushes glasses up nose after geeking out*


	2. Confront A Demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: “Think About You” Kygo featuring Valerie Broussard
> 
> Trigger Warning: Discussion of previous childhood bullying. Nothing terrible or hurtful. I once was a bullied individual so talking about such stuff still rattles me. This is a fluffy story, but just wanted to give you all a heads up.
> 
> I might have a post-New Years hungover...so trying to edit this was like walking through a swamp. I apologize for my grammar and whatnot. *hides head and swears off sunlight*

“Why do you hate me?” Cullen blurted, stomping into Neria’s office that next Monday.

Instantly, the Fereldan professor regretted it. He had spent the whole weekend planning this discussion. He wrote down his grievances and analyzed each. He wrote three different instances of when and how each occurred. Cullen even considered all the reasons why Neria would act that way when they were younger just to walk in her shoes and find what her counter-arguments would be. He did that for academic conferences, knowing specific researchers just had an axe to grind no matter how concrete Cullen’s evidence defended his thesis.

No, when it came to Neria Surana, all common sense and speak flew out the window. The world hung on for dear life when she blows threw and destroys everything in her path like a tornado the size of Nevarra. A person could not use logic conversing with the she-demon because her mind worked beyond any predictable dimension!

Cullen had to stop himself from jumping out of his wooden office chair hearing her whistling down the hall that early morning. A contest popped up regarding which professor came in earlier. It got to the point that Cullen arrived at 06:20 today, and she arrived at 06:30. There was no point to be there so early, but it just kept _escalating_. It was high school all over again! Everything was a challenge to this woman! She always had to be on top.

_Because positions_ , Neria’s spunky graduate student Sera Jenny would scream out of nowhere.

Cullen visibly counted down from one-hundred, watching the clock to allow the she-wolf to sit down and get settled in before having this tense conversation. During that short period, Cullen nearly convinced himself to drop it, his palms sweaty and head aching the longer he waited. He faced Venatori terrorists fighting in Tevinter and never batted an eye. Facing his childhood nemesis, and he was a skittish mess!

And he just threw his calm and calculated discussion out the window.

Surana was chaos incarnated.

Neria lifted her head from her 17-inch laptop screen, her brown rimmed plastic glasses snaking down her nose. “What…?”

Cullen took the moment to glance around the woman’s new office, his mind blank to what he was actually going to say. He stayed by the door, gripping the frame to steady himself. The office design was the exact mirror of his office since they shared a wall. His amber eyes roamed over the wall-to-wall bookshelves already filled with textbooks, printed journals, magic grimoires, and other historical publications. Along the back wall where the south wall windows established the outside wall hung at least ten vine-like plants and succulents. It made sense since her magical strength was in hedge and force earth-based magic. She probably felt comfortable having something to draw from if ever stuck in a fight. She did not use her magic combatively, just to constantly prank and freak Cullen out. He was surprised there was not a root mine at his feet to face-plant into the carpet before speaking a single word.

The blond Fereldan swallowed and rubbed his neck, his brain scrambling back to his written study about their past. Nothing came to mind. He will have to wing it. He never acted well off the cuff. Responding to a Venatori ambush, yes. A debate with a childhood bully, absolutely not.

“Don’t what me!” Cullen growled, finally entering the office. He already sounded combative. Maybe he can use this to his advantage. Back in the templars, his commands straightened any soldier under his leadership. Yet, for Surana, she just shook her head and made her frown like Cullen spoke a language she did not know. Unlikely since the woman spoke at least _seven_ languages. “You have been torturing me since the first day of classes! I gave you no reason for such abuse. I demand to know what grievances I’ve committed to receive such childish high jinx!”

Neria scrunched her ginger brow, visibly confused by his accusations. “Torturing you? Grievance? Rutherford, the moment you saw me you glared at me like I’m the bay scum on the bottom of your combat boot. You barely reacted to anything Josie and I said like we poisoned your cereal. Every time I see you around here, you’re grumbling. I’ve had your students coming to me to ask questions about your courses because they are afraid to approach you. The entire air around you screams ‘stay away!’”

Cullen visibly reared back like she slapped him. His students found him unapproachable this semester? No, he loved speaking and aiding students. He will have to review his attitude after this confrontation. For now, he focused on what _Surana_ had been doing the last week.

“What about the pudding in my mailbox o-o-o-r the pink glitter pomade?!” Cullen accused pointing out the door.

Neria shrugged and frowned. Then her face looked like a light bulb popped over her head. “Oh nelly. I know who that was. Sera Jenny, one of my new graduate students on the masters/doctorate cross program. I’ve known her since we were in the federal foster program together. She was in Redcliffe for a few years before her foster mother took her to Denerim. The young woman is a prankster. She dares not to do it anything to me because she knows I will send vine spiders into her dorm apartment. She doesn’t like anyone who frowns or sits on a high horse. _You_ fit both to a tee.”

Car wheels shrieked in the man’s mind. Cullen blinked. “You were a foster kid? When we were in school?”

The elf pursed her lips and tilted her head. Her big curly hair barely shifted, just hopped a little. “Everyone knew it. I spent all of middle and high school worrying if I didn’t get great grades I might be removed from my foster parents. Thank craziness I have a photographic memory to pass every exam. One failed course and the arling would throw me into a terrible Chantry orphanage. An elven mage in an orphanage? Void on Thedas! My guardians were so much better than the couple I lived with during Circle elementary training. Those prats worked me like a slave.”

The elf adjusted her brown plastic glasses on her nose. “You never noticed I was never at any of the parent-student activities.” Five different instances popped in Cullen’s head. Every parent fundraiser, Surana never appeared. Back then, he thought it a relaxing miracle. Now though, he realized his stupidity. One choir performance that Cullen’s parents could not attend depressed him. He could barely forgive them. Yet, having no parents around, biological or foster, for Surana must have destroyed her. No wonder she acted out all the time.

The mage continued her questioning. “Didn’t you notice I had no friends because what parent would allow their son or daughter hang out with an elven mage with no trustworthy guardians around?”

“Everyone was your friend!” Cullen huffed, scowling at the woman. He took a seat in front of her desk. “You were the center of attention in everything you did. You were theater club president, outdid everyone in every science fair, and the best debater in Model UN. You were always a lead in all the plays and won all the talent shows. Everyone wanted to _be_ you.”

_I wanted to be you_ , Cullen admitted to himself.

Neria burst out laughing, smacking her desk. Her big dangling earrings jingled with each movement, while crossing her legs on her office chair. She never sat naturally on anything. Cullen caught her sitting on the conference table during her graduate seminar last Wednesday evening. Luckily, she never wore dresses, preferring stretchy leggings and bangy sweaters and blouses. The first day of classes’ jumpsuit seem like an anomaly to her more common comfy wardrobe.

“You really thought that!?” Neria leaned forward and rested her cheek on her hand. “Rutherford, I acted that way just to have people around. I still do that because I am terribly insecure. I have ginger curly hair that enters a room before I do. One of my freshman students screamed seeing these snakes when I entered the classroom Tuesday. When I wanted to be my elementary school’s wallflower, all the turds found me no matter where I was. When I started middle school, I decided to embrace my blaring appearance and forced myself to be as outrageous as possible. It kept the racist bullies away, while people acted like they wanted to be my friend. I knew instantly it was because they wanted to copy my homework or because I seemed popular. No one invited me to parties. If they did invite me it was just to entertain others with my wild magic. It was never for my mind or hobbies. I made plants talk and moved hills so there was flat soccer pitch. No one liked me _for_ me. I was so alone. It was like standing in a crowd of millions and internally hollering for someone to share my love of Ray Bradbury and playing 4D Star Trek chess.”

Cullen blinked again, so shocked about what he was learning. Nothing he observed back then was as what he thought happened. Everything was an illusion.

The military historian pointed to himself. “Ray Bradbury is one of my favorite authors. _Fahrenheit 451_ is my favorite dystopian book because I want to fight any government who wants to burn books and make the world ignorant.”

Neria reached outward excitedly. The bracelets rang on both wrists. “Exactly! I have a flame-retardant safe filled with about two hundred first-edition books just in case such a world ever comes to be! I developed an incursion to rescue libraries and hide books in a bunker in the Western Approach!”

“And you play chess?” The former templar questioned, chuckling to himself. When was the last time he played chess? Oh yeah, in the rehabilitation center against Mia after retiring from the Order. “You know I established a chess club in high school.”

Surana nodded quickly. “Oh, I know, but you made it very clear that I wasn’t invited.” Cullen grimaced, remembering how he demanded she leave him alone in at least one activity. The disappointment across her face that particular squabble. Maker, Cullen could be so thick. “Besides, chess relaxes me. I only play myself anymore despite all those intelligential at the campus coffee shop running tournaments all the time. It allows me to think of my source evidence like each piece. Each move arranges them until a thesis forms. When I lose, I know the theory isn’t right or horrible flawed. So, I start again.”

“Curious way to think of primary sources.” Cullen smirked, leaning back in his seat. He started feeling comfortable but guilty for his responses against this woman.

However, the professor’s childhood self reminded him that, yes, he misinterpret many things. It did not make her challenging and name calling acceptable. “Why did you call me all those ridiculous names a-a-and always had to beat me at everything!? And you can’t blame Sera on this too because you immediately called me ‘Rutherfart’ or ‘Sullen’ as soon as we saw each other again. Everything is a contest with you. Why are you here so early!? Only _I_ come in early!”

Neria scrunched her nose and shook her head. “You never reacted before when I called you by your name as teens. It was a natural reaction seeing you that first day. You are the only person not interested in my shenanigans back then. You didn’t buy my stunts, just dismissed me or remarked I just screwed everything up. One time, you even hollered my chaos worked via luck, and someday I would fall on my face defeated with no way to get back up. You ignored _everything_ I did like I was beneath you.” 

The elf’s nasally voice sounded defeated and flat. “I had to think of some way for you even _look_ at me. It was a natural reaction when I saw you were part of the faculty. When I came for my interview, I really hoped we could meet and talk, but they explained you were out for the year. I got excited when I got this job to share our expertise, our favorite subject for once. I knew you liked history, but you always rambled you will be a templar.” The elven woman shrank a little like she wanted to disappear. “It scared me because templars policed child mages. I had horrible experiences at the Circle elementary. Yes, my mage teachers were in charge, but oversee templars were so…intimidating. _Watching_ like creepy stations. The first time I was silenced left me screaming, while the templar just laughed. He had not reason to silence me then! I jumped for joy when I was finally passed my general magic exams and could transfer to a mix co-ed mage/non-mage middle school. I did everything possible to get out that place.”

The mage sighed and twisted a front curl around her skinny fingers. The silverite rings on a few fingers clicked together. “As for getting here earlier, I like to exercise at the gym. I love to cook and _might_ binge eat while watching movies. I’m obsessed with salt and vinegar pringles. I can eat an entire tall can a night. So, I exercise to burn calories and give my ADHD something to do. Unfortunately, last week I kept getting accosted by these macho bigot types. One of them penned me against a wall and threatened to report I was a blood mage. So, I come in really early before they arrive to exercise in peace.” 

Her big brown eyes flicked to Cullen. “It has nothing to do with you. I just enjoy the quiet too. My plants calm me after being called a maleficar and knife-ear. The silence washes away the hate before students arrive and I have to teach. I don’t like bringing negativity into the classroom. I _lived_ in such environments. It’s no way to learn.” She pointed to a small cactus fist-size cactus by her laptop. “You see Joey? I take him to each class. I tell my students that despite him be covered in needles and look threatening, he is just a plant trying to live. May it be a mage, dwarf, Qunari, or templar, we’re all just trying to live. There’s no point being ‘thorny’ about it.”

Cullen chuckled once, staring at the small round cactus. “Cute.”

Then his mind caught up with everything. “Oh.” Cullen coughed feeling like the biggest cad in the world. Everything Neria did barely had anything to do with him. Leliana’s prediction was correct. All of this was just in his head. He rubbed his neck. “I’m…sorry you don’t feel safe on campus.” Cullen shook his head. He suddenly felt like it was his duty to protect her. He had an honor strike a mile long. His sister Mia would scream at him if he did not try to help Neria. “Ummmm, I use the gym in the evening after classes to wear myself out to sleep. If you don’t mind a different schedule, we can go together…I’m an ex-templar. I doubt anyone will even approach you with an intimidating knight around.” He smirked.

Neria bit her lips and played with her springy hair. Randomly, she spun an outer ring on her middle finger, a spinning ring some people use to keep themselves focused and occupied. “We’ll see.” Her brown eyes stared at him. “I’m sorry if my actions hurt you. It was never my intention.”

Cullen waved his hands outward. “No, the problem is all mine.” He pointed at his head. “Really, it’s all in my own mind. Having you here just raised all these insecurities I had from our school years. I immediately felt inferior to you. You always beat me in exams, but now I know it was because of your foster status. Everyone loved you, but it was actually false admiration. You were the life of the party, while I could barely interact with anyone without running for the hills.” 

He frowned, taking a long deep breath. “You were everything I wanted to be. You always beat me in everything. I thought it was a contest when it was just my head coming up with these things. Most of all, I felt like you focused you teasing on me and no one else.”

“That one is true.” Neria giggled, blush colored and popped her freckles out more than before. She twisted her finger more into her hair. “I do have a confession to make.”

Cullen perked a brow. How many more surprises did this person have in her bag of silliness? “Oh?”

“I had the hugest crush on you in school. Like _years._ ” She used her thick and crazy hair to instantly cover her burning face.

The ex-templar just blinked. Maker’s breath! “What…?” He rubbed his neck again. That damn nervous tick. “Like how? Why?! You made me face-plant when running for ROTC. I looked a fool in front of the class during presentations. How does that equate to having a crush?!”

Neria flipped her hair back and took off her glasses. “Look, I know it doesn’t make sense. Every time I did those things, I went around the corner and scolded myself. Seriously though, I was practically _in love with you_. I still remember your track number. I can name off your tenth grade class schedule. You never realized we ‘ran into each other’ constantly because I would go out of my way to see you between classes. It was borderline stalking now that I think about it!”

Cullen chuckled and shook his head, figuring out what was clearly _not_ what he thought. “Why did you prank me and call me names if you liked me?” His baritone chuckles filled the office. This was all out of this world. Chaotic with no rhyme or reason, distinctly Neria.

Neria shrugged and held up her hands defensively. “Look, I was like Helga. You know, that one blonde girl on _Hey Arnold_? She was secretly in love with Arnold, but as soon as they spoke she turned into a nasty mess. I didn’t have a shrine in my closet, but my locker leaned that direction. I knew what I was doing was counterproductive, but I couldn’t stop doing it. It was like when I saw you last week, it just snapped on like it hasn’t been over a decade since we saw each other.”

“Still have a crush, Surana?” Cullen teased with a smug smirk.

Neria rolled her eyes. “I won’t deny you _somehow_ got more handsome, but I hope I have outgrown my bully-love craze.”

_Rats_. The thought startled Cullen for a moment. Wait, what?

The military historian cleared his throat and offered his right hand. “How about we start this all over again? Apparently we both horribly misinterpreted everything we have done to one another since we were kids. It seems like we have a great deal in common. Wipe the slate clean and start again?”

Neria thought for a moment. “I don’t want to forget our history. I have some good memories of you.” She reached out and shook his hand. “However, I think we have matured into fine academic adults.” She leaned forward and grasp and shook his offered hand.

A random vine tickled Cullen’s wrist. He threw his hand back and glared at the mage. Neria chuckled and held up her hands. “Last joke. Promise, Noodle Head.”

Cullen stood up. “I think you said matured adults with quotations marks because you, Neria Surana, are still a wild child.”

The elf crossed her arms, beaming happily. “Would you have it any other way?”

“Maker so help me…” Cullen muttered, stepping out of the office. A huge grin plastered across his face. He had not felt this good in years. “Goodbye, Neria.”

“You too,…Cullen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Cullen misconstrued everything he thought he knew about Neria. In this past, I acted like both Neria and Cullen. I knew of people that I completely read wrong and ate crow afterwards, regretting all my responses. I was Neria in regards of people liking you because you could be useful. 
> 
> I think we can all think of a situation like this. The great thing about growing up and meeting someone again is that you are older, wiser, and more open minded to how someone acted back then. There isn't any high school cliches skewing your perceptions anymore. That's why I wrote their relationship like this. It's easy to think something about a bully to only discover it was just you imaging reasons why specific interactions occur.
> 
> Now that the air is clear, how will Cullen interact with Neria now?


	3. Annoying Bees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy, Everyone! This is a short chapter that originally was attached to the next chapter. While editing today, I saw it growing too long for such a short story. So I split them. I think it kind of worked out, especially with tomorrow's chapter on its own. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy! XD!
> 
> Chapter Song: “Addicted to You” by UNSECRET featuring Anne

The next month after that initial air-clearing conversation became the best in Cullen’s sorry life. Once resolving everything decades-old, the ex-templar found he enjoyed every moment in Neria Surana’s presence. His academic days could not start without her calling him a taunting nickname, and he could not leave work without moving one of her office plants. 

The first time the plant move happened, she spent an hour trying to reorganize them all. It took her over a week to find out who did it. Afterwards, it was a game between the colleagues. Neria set magical pranks under specific plants thinking she will deter Cullen, while he could sense her magic enough to usually avoid not tampered pots.

Their fellow faculty friends noticed the shift instantly. Cullen actually ate with the other professors listening to Neria argue with the other mages about an ancient spell she found in a Grey Warden archive. He told stories about their high school years, specifically ones that embarrassed Neria enough to cover her freckled face with her wild ginger hair.

Other routines sprang up with the elven mage. Cullen switched his gym routine to mornings, finding he still slept about the same as before, but more workout equipment was available. It also meant he avoided some female student gawkers who pretended to exercise but actually just watched him in the floor length mirrors. Neria pointed it out laughing about his ‘fan club’. After that, he could not stop unseeing it.

Surana also felt more comfortable too, especially when Cullen and Iron Bull chased those bigot machos out of the building when they tried to harass her again. Evidently, the bigots thought the massive Iron Bull and human ex-templar would join in their harassment. Once their head moron went sailing onto the gym mates, the idiots figured out they were Neria’s protection. The racists never returned. 

The Qunari professor joined them on some mornings while Dorian slept in, but not always. Neria pointed out the correlation between Bull missing gym days and Dorians coming into the department whistling happily. Now, Cullen wished she had not told him. 

When together, they exchanged tips or spotted one another. Cullen felt like he was back in the templars. Neria remarked that while she did not exercise to build muscle, her weight remained steady thus her pringles addiction did not add pounds.

Both Cullen and Neria hung out together once a week in the evenings when neither person taught graduate courses. They spent the time engulfing Neria’s home-cooked meals and grading. They would compete on whose student papers were worse. Loser would buy the beer or wine for next week. Cullen will need to think of a thank you for Nick Matthews in his Introduction to Fereldan History course for his pitiful papers because Cullen was on a five-week winning streak.

“Sounds like you’re over your childhood traumas.” Mia chuckled through his cellphone speaker one evening. His eldest sister always called him once a month to see how he was doing. Before, Cullen dodged her phone calls until Neria commented once if she had a sister or living parent, she would dive for the phone. Every time Mia’s number popped up on his phone now, he heard the ginger elf’s voice saying that. It never went to voicemail again.

Cullen laughed. “Yeah, Surana keeps me on my toes…just not by summoning roots in my running path anymore.”

“She did that because she had a _huge_ crush on you, you know that right?” Mia mentioned as Cullen searched through his empty refrigerator for dinner. He ate the leftovers Neria fixed Tuesday. The last grading-dinner fest was lasagna night. The woman loved to cook, always making more than her little body could handle. Knowing Cullen lived off of protein shakes and take out, she made it a life mission to feed him herself. Not even any leftover ingredients remained either. Rats.

“You _knew?!_ ” Cullen hollered through the phone. “That information would have been _great_ during high school!”

“Cullen, _everyone_ knew that. Evidently not if your thick skull missed it.” His sister surmised with a chuckle. “That and her being a foster kid were the most knowledge anyone ever really knew about Surana. What? Did you want to date her in high school or something?”

Instantly, Cullen’s hand rubbed the nape of his neck. “Well, _no._ ” He grimaced, while his voice grew rough. “It would have been beneficial information in understanding her weird brain.”

“You two, I swear.” Mia giggled. “You two danced and teased all throughout high school. You talked about her _constantly_. Even Mom asked me if you were dating yet or not.”

Cullen huffed. “ _I_ didn’t like her.” 

_Then_ he wanted to add, but Cullen pushed that additional word in the back of his head with all the other lingering wishes. They gathered like bees regularly now. The original thought bloomed into a huge daisy that day in Neria’s office when he felt disappointed she did not still share such crushes anymore. Now, bees of random wishes and ‘what ifs’ collected until practically buzzed out of his ears.

“ _Pfft!_ Please! Branson and I had a running tally on when you would admit it to yourself. You had all the popular girls crawling all over you, but all you ever focused on was how ‘Surana did this today’ or ‘Surana beat me on X test again.’ For a guy who says he didn’t like her, you were obsessed about everything she did.”

“I admired her, yes.” Cullen admitted, his scarred lip twitching being reminded about his childhood complaints. He _did_ talk about her all the time, but it was all negative…right? “That does not equate to liking her. Besides, I was infatuated with Maya Amell.”

“You mean the healing ice mage?” Mia quizzed, shuffling with her phone in his ear. By now, Cullen searched his cabinets for anything reliable. Only a sole half-eaten pringles can sat on the lowest shelf. He craved Neria’s beef stew right now. “Yes, she was pretty, but she was so meek and shy. You too would have just been bashful, stammered while talking, and never just to dating. You had nothing in common. Surana now, yes she bugged you, but you two were in everything together. Only choir and drama differed, but they combined groups combined for the spring musical. You might have never acted in it, but I know your choir teacher begged you to try out at least your junior and senior year’s musicals. With how much you read at home, you would have fit right in with Surana reading every book not nailed down in the library. To many people around school, your arguing was an act as you two perfecting Model UN speeches for you all’s next competition. You two could argue your way out of wet paper bags. Reminded me of Papaw and Nanna Rutherford after sixty years of marriage.”

Nope, not commenting on that comparison. Cullen knew his grandparents bickered all the time. Yes, it sounded like Cullen and Neria, but there was _no_ way meant the same.

A new buzzing bee in his brain.

Instead of entertaining his sister, Cullen shifted the conversation. “I’m just surprised Neria went into history. The woman is an absolute genius. She could have landed us on Satina if she had become an astronaut.” Cullen commented, resigning himself to take out again. It never tasted right anymore. After having homemade meals again, nothing made ready to order satisfied his picky stomach. Still, Cullen snagged the pringles can. He used to hate salt and vinegar chips. Neria’ chaos began infecting him now. “She told me last week she got into history after my presentations on the Battle of Denerim in tenth grade. After graduation, history just followed her everywhere. 

Cullen smirked, thinking about his last discussion with the mage. “Did you know she lived with the Dalish for a year to better understand Dalish Grey Wardens, especially their mages? The clan were so impressed with her open mind and respecting their laws, they gave her vallaslin on her back! They never do that for non-Dalish elves except if they grew up with the clan.”

“Oh, have you _seen_ this special tattoo dear brother?” Mia giggled from her home in South Reach. “In a personal setting…?”

Cullen walked into that one. “ _No,_ Mia.”

“Well, you could if you just asked her on a da-“

“ _No, Mia.”_ Cullen hissed into his smartphone. “She’s a colleague and friend.”

“From how quickly you responded, you’ve thought about it.”

“No, but Dorian keeps nagging me.” The professor grumbled, flopping down on his couch. As usual, his television was on a war documentary he knew more about than the narrators. “And Leliana, who apparently won a _bet_ on the real reason Neria picked on me. Half of the bloody Gallows asks if I have made a move yet or not. I blame Varric in English. Neria’s friend in Sociology Zervan and that Rivaini economist Isbela who is venturing into history isn’t helping either. It is a college campus, not the Bachelor! They need to leave me bloody alone!”

“It seems your faculty sees the sexual tension between you two as much as I do.”

“Mia, please.” Cullen groaned, sinking into his couch cushions more. He pinched the bridge of his nose hard just to think about something else. His female mabari noticed his embarrassment and hopped up beside him. She flopped on her side against his chest and gazed up at him with pleading yellow eyes. Cullen began rubbing her belly. “We’re just friends. She admitted she did not like me anymore during our sit-down discussion. Yes, she thought me handsome, but doesn’t half of my students? Maker, it is like navigating a Qunari minefield when those college girls ask for ‘help’ with a ‘paper’. Their skirts keep getting shorter to the point I wear my sunglasses teaching to avoid seeing something. One look and its sexual harassment!”

“Surana and you had that conversation over a month ago. You never know, she might feel the same way again. Much can change in a small time. Reminiscing about old times, sharing evenings together, eating nice homemade dinners, and exercising together incites many warm fuzzy feelings.”

They do as Cullen discovered unfortunately over the last month. When they supposed to be grading, sometimes Neria will just kick her papers across the room, sit cross-legged in his lounge chair, and quiz him about some historical date or favorite major battle. The last conversation like that lasted until after midnight. Cullen felt terrible about it because he knew she needed to teach early the next morning. Neria told him to not worry. She enjoyed herself, feeling challenged for the first time since high school.

It also did not help that crazy elf saved her tight clothing for the gym. Any other time, she wore baggy soft materials avoiding dresses like the blight. Then at the gym, she demonstrated that was only when she exercised did she wear a bra. When Iron Bull pointed that fact out, Cullen could not stop seeing her breasts bounce with each step down the history department hall. Her behind also moved with each step, reminding Cullen to thank the Maker for the designer of leggings and skinny jeans.

“I doubt that.” Cullen confessed, pinching his nose. “I haven’t fallen on my face lately tripping on a tree root or found aloe slime balls in my desk drawer like in middle school.”

The professor quickly drove the bees away from his aroused and hopeful mind. Disappointment laid on the other side, knowing that ship sailed before he even knew it was at port. Besides, they worked together. Their friendship fulfilled all Cullen wanted and needed in his life right now. His attention focused on his tenure promotion and publications. 

“She doesn’t have to be Helga now, _Ramen Bowl_.” Mia chuckled in Neria’s nasally voice while Cullen grumbled to himself. “She’s not being outrageous to get your attention anymore. Evidently, you will follow her willingly now. Which pot did you move tonight?”

“The chicks and hens succulents.” Cullen responded immediately. His fingers twitched. “She got me with a vine grip spell. One of the doctorate students, Shayle, said I screamed like a girl trying to purge the thing off my hand.”

“If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.” Mia laughed joyfully. “Go eat, Brother. I hear you munching on chips in my ear. Besides, I haven’t heard my kids in the last five minutes. That either means they’re asleep or up to no good.”

“If they are like us, it’s the second.” Cullen cackled as childhood memories flowed over his mind. “Bye, Mia.”

“Think about it, Cul. You deserve some happiness. Neria sounds like a woman who would _love_ to give you some.”

“I said _bye,_ Mia.”

“All right. All right. Goodbye, Cullen. We’re cheering for you.”

 _There was nothing to cheer about._ Cullen replied in his head while ending the call. _Nothing was going on. Only two old friends undoing so much misunderstood history. Nothing will come about from any of this._

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think of Cullen's buzzing thoughts beyond friendship? Neria and Cullen definitely overcame their previous transgressions. Now, something is blooming, specifically for Cullen. Everyone's noticed apparently. Has Neria? What do you think of Mia put her nose in Cullen's business? Or Cullen's family observations from Surana and Neria's younger years?
> 
> Let me know in the comments! XD! Thanks for sharing, commenting, and leaving kudos! I <3 you all!


	4. A Fereldan's Wet Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Song: “Who Let the Dogs Out” by Baha Men

When Cullen and Surana had their evening grading fests, they always occurred at his house outside the city. Neria always would go out grocery shopping beforehand and cooked in his kitchen. She remarked it was bigger and could handle her organized chaos. More likely, Cullen had a dishwasher, and she somehow dirty ever pot in his cabinets. Whatever leftover ingredients or food remained, she left them because she knew he would eat it all without ever shopping for himself. Even then, she made a salad or fried the remaining meat for a special sandwich with the leftovers so Cullen did not need to do any preparation himself. 

Cullen would offer the elf money to cover the costs, but she always hid the cash in one of his books laying on his office desk. So, much like the potted plants, that challenging game popped up. The same fifty-dollar bill passed between the two colleagues, hidden all over creation between his house and their department offices. 

The woman never let him _take care_ of her. 

So, it felt strange that Saturday afternoon to stand outside her apartment door with his mabari. Cullen always commented he could go to her place and wash the dishes, but Neria waved him off that there was never enough room. Right afterwards, her fingers twisted into her ginger hair.

Today though, the dog park was closer to her residence. She asked if there was anywhere close in the city where she could take her own mabari hounds without driving out into the mountains’ hiking trails. Neria remarked she had been doing that, but the drive and gas killed her bank account and daylight. 

Cullen jumped at the opportunity to have their hounds meet and play. His female war hound rarely had a playmate who could handle her size, while Surana’s two hounds needed constant outside stimulus. Living in a small apartment drove them insane, apparently. He knew several parks within walking distance of her apartment building and offered to show her the way.

_Do any visiting people have problems with magic?”_ Neria had asked nervously. Cullen should have known that was a worry from her early life experiences.

Kirkwall’s history contained multiple ages of Tevinter slavery and blood magic. When Cullen began working at the city-state’s main university, he woke up shaking from horrific nightmares. Something about the city’s dark magic history rattled his inner templar. Furthermore, fighting Venatori insurgents then and later working in a city that contained similar Tevinter architecture reminded him of military engagements that ended horrifically during the Exalted March. 

Alas, Kirkwall during the Dragon Age differed substantially from Kirkwall today. Yes, there stood a massive monument in Hightown recognizing the Chantry explosion. Some ultra-religious people prayed and cried at the site. Meanwhile, free mages praised the Grew Warden Mage for his sacrifice that led to the mage rebellion. Today, mages and magic were part of everyday life. 

That was one of the greatest outcomes from the Dragon Age Inquisition. It made sense for the history department’s revisionist program begin at Kirkwall University as this city-state was the epicenter of early modern Thedas. Divine Victoria abolished the Circles. Templar no longer must submit to lyrium addiction to serve. Now, Cullen could be a templar and retire as lyrium use was no longer necessary. Mages and templars worked together to avoid maleficium. The knights only acted as the Chantry’s military against foreign agents and guards in the Circle elementary schools until the mage children could proper defend themselves against demons. Besides, Cullen hated the idea of drinking from dwarven titans’ blood for some nullification abilities. Stamina alone could still allow for a templar to use those abilities. Modern medicine had seen to that efficiently.

Neria did not need to worry about whatever lingering prejudice hung around Kirkwall. Yes, city elves still lived in alienages and racism continued, but it is nothing like it used to be. Progress was slow, but moving in a positive direction. 

The wild ginger remarked Cullen still acted like a human templar in stature, planning, and attitude. _That broody scowl and intimidating stance makes babies cry, Tin Man,_ she joked one day walking across campus to their vehicles.That meant if there was someone who threaten her, he could shield her as he had done at the gym. As long as they were together, Cullen will protect that ginger terror.

On second thought, Cullen acted more like backup. Surana handled her naysayers as she handled everything else in life: she traumatized the person by out-thinking them until they ran in fright. Or she poured all her knowledge out to tear apart their racist ideals until they recognized their flaws and changed their mindsets. Well, that was how she did it in high school.

Cullen shook all this lingering thoughts from his mind once reaching her apartment floor. Neria lived in Lowtown’s industrial district. When Cullen learned her living location, he instantly suggested she move knowing the crime rate in that area rivaled Darktown. 

_Landlords took one look at me and denied an elven mage any place not in the alienage. The only way I got this apartment was sending Leliana as a favor working on behalf of a client, like a lawyer. That’s why I didn’t even see my department office until the first day of school. Too busy moving in! Thank craziness our department head can be a scary bitch!_

The ex-templar forgot that humans chased elves of human exclusive settlement areas thinking them all criminals. Racial segregation continued despite law outlawing it. Cullen knew from late-night conversations Neria refused to live in an alienage again. Her scarred mind still replayed the night waking to gunfire from a gang firefight. The dilapidated walls did not nothing to stop the bullets. Her mother died instant, a gunshot through the skull while sleeping. 

Neria’s paroled father did not have any weapons per court order despite his original conviction was for a non-violent crime. He hollered Neria to go out the back door to the neighbors for help. When Neria returned, her father was being thrown into a police car believed to be one of the gang members. Evidently, one gang had been trying to convince her father to assist in their illegal drug operations since he worked in herbal botany. The other gang found out and wanted no one to aid their enemies, thus the shootout. 

Four-year-old Neria, already knowledgeable of magic and most subjects, became orphaned by alienage and human seedy violence. For his heritage, no one believed her father did not take part in the attack. He got twenty years to life for second-degree murder for his wife’s death. He died in a prison riot right before they graduated high school. No wonder she does not handle authority and stuffy gloomy professionals well, especially templars and the police.

Cullen still wished he had invited Neria to be a roommate just so she did not have to live alone in such dangerous places. His military mind thought of ten different ways he could move his stuff around and give her a safe place. Alas, his insecurities and selfish desire for her presence always kept the words unspoken.

Now, standing in front of the elf’s apartment door, Cullen wanted to offer it again. Her apartment building used to be an old slaughterhouse. The walls and carpet still smelled of rotting druffalo and nug blood. How could she stand it?!

A dark thought passed his mind. He still felt the residue of blood magic right under the painted walls. It made sense for a slaughter house in old Kirkwall. Cullen just prayed they did the magic on animals, not people.

Maybe Neria should become a roommate-

-No, he will not offer. He was just a friend. Nothing more. Neria can take care of herself. Usually. As long as lucky pandemonium kept her going.

With Cullen’s resolve to be a respectable colleague cemented again, the ex-templar knocked on Surana’s front door. He kept rolling on his sneaker feet. He debated for a half an hour on what to wear. He slapped his forehead, reminding himself they were just walking the hounds, not a date or something. Although, Neria mentioned she will make sandwiches to eat while the hounds played. Like a picnic? No, stop it, Rutherford. 

The professor’s war hound sat beside him. The grey and white mabari glanced up at him as he pursed his lips. She groaned and rolled her yellow eyes.

“What?” The professor asked his companion. His hand knocked the metal door again and waited. He heard movement inside.

The mabari huffed and glanced away like she could see his excitement and slight terror about the entire meeting. Cullen will finally get to see Surana’s home too. It was not a big deal despite being in such a smelly malevolent building. 

Still, there was something about inviting someone into another’s home. Cullen nearly fell over hearing himself offering Neria to come and grade at his house the first time. And the second time. Dorian scuffed and whined. He never visited Cullen’s house. Even Cassandra has only seen the living room and kitchen. 

Now, Cullen gave Surana a key for when she house-sat while he attended a conference. His mabari loved her and only allowed the elf on his property. He just told Neria to keep it. That made Dorian faint. Strangely, Cassandra got excited until Josephine pointed out the seeker-specialized historian lost her place in whatever non-history book she had been reading. Zevran somehow immediately found out and suggested ways the elven mage could use such a gift. Neria vine-trapped him to a tree. Somehow, Sera got Cullen’s cellphone number and sent all these weird emojis with no translation.

Cullen did not care what Neria saw in his home now. She never judged him, only teased and pranked a few cherished belongings as to quote ‘make the boring man’s house lively.’ If anyone else, Cullen would have lost his temper. Instead, he cackled and nervously looked forward to see her random mischief. She sprinkled her happy chaos everywhere. That included his ice box. That morning he got sprayed snow like a freak blizzard when went to fill his canteen with ice cubes. 

Now, Cullen finally got to explore her environment. People’s living spaces told a great deal about them. Neria glimmered so many facets there was always something to learn about her. Alas, Cullen already knew much about Neria. Yes, he will learn more. It meant nothing. 

Like his hound could read his mind, she barked up at him knowing that too was absolute bullshit.

Okay, so his sister’s observation last week ate at Cullen like an earworm. It had been over a month since that initial adult conversation. Neria thought him more handsome than in high school. It did not mean she obsessed about him like back then. Yet maybe she liked him again. She did not need to play pranks or be crazy to get his attention now. She still annoyingly did, but they did not have that wickedness that each slant had had back then. 

Only under the threat of severe distress would Cullen admit he already thought about her all the time. He texted every time he remembered something silly from their school days. Or needed a smile after a difficult headache day. Or bought a book Neria had complained escaped her grasp to complete a series. Or that he craved her food every time he was hungry.

“Maker’s breath…” Cullen pinched his nose. He became infatuated with the wild elf. 

Maybe Iron Bull was right he watched her stretching and running around the gym track a little _too_ closely. Dorian might have a good point that Cullen knew how Neria would play their specific chess games if she was there. But absolutely in no way was Solas right that she would appreciate Andraste’s Grace flower bulb for her birthday. He meant Leliana, not Surana. She did not like plants that died after blooming-

-Maker, he was in deep, completely enraptured and had no idea how to stop it.

“Rutherfart!” Neria howled as her metal door popped open. 

Cullen only saw ginger hair until he glanced down and around all her twisting curls to see her smile. Today, those crazy waves were down and untamed by headbands, braids, or hairbands. The curl creatures swamped her face in red thick curls. She wore a baggy oversize thin grey blouse with a long beaded necklace with two warden griffons hanging as the main pendant. Stretchy black leggings covered her short legs to her ankles. Ballerina flats finished the look. Of course, Neria could not go anywhere without a million bracelets and huge loop earrings with charms and other items hanging off them. Usually, Cullen heard her nasally voice and cackling jewelry before seeing her wild ginger hair. 

The one accessory Cullen grew accustomed to seeing was missing: her brown-wide rimmed glasses. Neria told him she would be blind without glasses so he stood surprised she was not running into walls. Maybe she got contacts or her sunglasses were prescription-grade. She drove everywhere in sunglasses that snapped to her glasses.

Cullen finally could gaze at his woman with nothing in her face. Well, besides her hair. That never was out of the way. He did not remember how many freckles she had during high school, but the spots definitely increased over the years specifically across her forehead and cheekbones. It softened her elven features. If it was not for her extra-long pointed ear poking out from the mess of curls, she could be mistaken for a very short human. However, Cullen thought all her elven characteristics beautiful and unique.

The former templar’s heart did a backflip meeting those big brown spheres in the mix of freckle stars across her face. Today, pink bold lipstick that just accented her every word. She never wore makeup, only lipstick. The colors got bolder the longer they spent time together. “Have any problem finding the place?”

Neria stepped aside to allow the ex-templar into her apartment. Cullen rubbed his neck while snapping his fingers. His war hound followed behind, receiving full body scratches from the happy elf. “No, actually the only problem was parking.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.” Neria giggled, racing down the foyer into her living room. She weaved around him with grace so she could enter the living-dining room first. “Barkspawn! Lady Blightengale! You going to come out and meet our guests?” 

Her attention flashed back to the man afraid to enter the space. “Come on in! It’s tiny, but we’ll all fit in here somehow. I should have warned you about parking. There’s a reason I walk to work. I haven’t moved my Jeep Liberty in over a week! I have the best parking space on the street. I’m not giving it up for all the gold in Orlais!”

Cullen stepped slowly down the hallway. The entry hallway was thigh and barely long enough for his shoulder. He passed the doorway into her small kitchen. It made sense she enjoyed cooking at his house. Her stove was the size of his mabari, while plants filled the kitchen window. Many cooking utensils sat out on the small counter space like there was not enough storage for all her needs. A full-length step stool ran the breath of the narrow kitchen so she could reach the oven and sink. Why did he never think of such a necessity for his house? 

Finally, Cullen reached the end of the hallway, arriving into a small living room with wall-to-wall books and plants. Maker, she was right. The space rivaled the freshman dorms on campus. The couch was a loveseat, perfect for her petite frame. He did not see a television, only her laptop on the loveseat. Beside it against the cushions was the mandatory pringles can and a glass of homemade juice.

The little space smelled of alchemy, books, and artifacts. Any picture hanging on wall space was of a Grey Warden historical place or an artifact statue she discovered. On her small dining room table was an alchemy setup, the only available place for such equipment. Every window had no blinds, but many plant species, some in herbal nature. The only thing Cullen saw of photos was a small frame on a bookshelf of a small elven girl and two adults, likely her parents.

Suddenly, an explosion of magic caught the former knight’s attention as two big forms thundered out a back room down another small hallway. The one mabari out front was a brown and black female hound that stumbled into his dog for sniffs and licks. The other war hound though-

“Neria, what is _that?!”_

Sitting down in front of Cullen was a glowing purple mass of vines. The shape was of a male mabari, but that was about it. It even had a nib bark tail that batted against the carpet.

“That’s Barkspawn!” Surana sang happily. “He won’t bite. After he figured out how to move his jaw properly, he doesn’t bite anybody anymore.”

“Is that… _necromancy_ magic?” Cullen questioned, very wary of the vine dog in front of him. His old templar senses tingled right under his pale skin. Old magic anxieties fighting Tevinter magisters flickered behind his frightened eyes. Suddenly, gazing at the apartment again, he noticed several artifacts from Nevarra. Several grimoires on one bookshelf focused on death mages and necromancy.

Learned something new about her already.

“You never figured out Dorian and I’s lunch debates were about Barkspawn?” Neria quizzed with a frown. “Barkspawn was my only friend growing up. I found him in a gutter in the alienage before the gang attack. If it wasn’t for him, I would have died with Mum. When the old mabari died in undergrad, it broke my heart. Each night wandering the Fade, he followed behind me. My old magic teacher, Irving, told me he wasn’t passing over the Veil into the afterlife. He was a risk of becoming an arcane horror. So, under the tutorage of my mentors and some friendly Nevarran death mages, we figured out a way for him to stay _himself_.” She waved out in front of her at the vine hound like there was nothing wrong. “I figured me asking about magic at the dog park would clue you in about the big magical animal.”

Cullen just stared at the mass. “So, his spirit is attached to vines?” His entire templar platoon would be smiting this plant to the Void by now.

“No.” She waved her finger at him. “Actually, we burned his body per usual, but his bones remained. I carved enchantments into each and bound his spirit to the bones. If he ever feels like he is ready to move on to the heavens, he can just go. It’s all up to him. I don’t use mana to keep him corporal. The vines just give a working body. It freaked people out just seeing a glowing skeleton walking around. There is a single vine plant he waters by lapping up with his leaf tongue. I only have to change its soil once a year. He’s fine beyond that. He just doesn’t know he’s _dead_.”

“Talk about being an imprinted Fereldan pair…” Cullen whistled through his teeth. “This hasn’t given you problems?”

“Well…” Neria tilted her head side to side. Her wild curls fluffed with the movement. “In Denerim, my old neighbors thought him demonic so he could never play in the yard with his daughter, Lady Blightengale.” She thumbed to the other mabari wrestling with Cullen’s war hound. “I got templar SWAT called to my house there all the time. It only really causes problems when I have to go out of town and he can’t come. Nelly, you should have seen the dog hotel staff when I brought him in for that last-minute speech in Val Royeaux last month.”

Those big brown eyes met Cullen’s hesitant expression. “Does he…” She shrank into herself. “…bother you?” Her fingers played with curls as she shifted her feet. Cullen now registered it was her own nervous behavior. “I know templars don’t like magic used in such ways so….that’s why I haven’t had you two meet…or you over here before. I understand if you don’t want to go to the park now. If you just want to leave…I-I understand.”

Cullen winced and squeezed his eyes shut. He pinched the nasal bridge. “Maker, Surana. I didn’t know that it bothered you so much if my templar opinions would…” He rubbed his neck. “I hope you don’t think I would be prejudice against you or your magic.”

The short elf twisted her curls around her fingers more, her little tick more intense as the conversation went on. “Just…I’ve been smited for having him around. And silenced. And both in the middle of public. He’s…he’s all I had for many years. When his daughter imprinted on me right before he died, I felt a little better I would still have a friend. Then to discover he was still wandering the world instead beyond the Fade…I couldn’t just leave him that way. He protected me from my first foster parents. Kept himself between me and that abusive alcoholic husband. He told me I could trust my new foster family when I started middle school. He was my _only_ friend for decades.”

Cullen’s scarred lip twitched, hating his instincts told him to smite the dead beast. Knowing how Neria felt growing up, this hound stood by her. Meanwhile, the envious track star grumbled about her besting him all the time. It could have been Cullen that helped her through her troubled upbringing, but instead he made her his enemy for just being _herself_.

There was only one way to solve this. The history professor kneeled down by the vine mabari and reached out his hand. Barkspawn slowly stepped forward and sniffed his hand. He licked the tips with a plant leaf. He motioned like he barked. It made sense he did not have a voice if he was just a skeleton under it all. Sensing Cullen’s relaxation around the vine beast, Barkspawn barreled into Cullen in joy.

“He likes you!” Surana laughed, watching as the plant dog _thing_ licked across the professor’s face. His daughter and Cullen’s mabari joined in the fun. Cullen shielded himself, laughing under all the animal's snorts and weird tongue lapping across his skin. Neria hopped over the mauled human for the front door. “Come on! Let’s go to the dog park! I’ve made Ostwick-steak hoagies with extra sauce and cheese for lunch! I even sneaked fresh fruit Sangria in a tall bottle for the meal.”

“A little help, please!” Cullen laughed under the hound masses.

“Cullen Rutherford, you are experiencing a Fereldan’s wet dream.” The elf retorted, opening her refrigerator for the food bag. “Accept it with national pride!”

Cullen’s head poked out from the mabaris, the biggest smile on his face. “Very true. Come on, pups, let’s go scare some Orlesians!”

Three mabaris barred for the front door, tripping over each other in the small hallway. The elf hopped up on a small bookcase by the door to avoid being trampled. Neria glanced at Cullen with an inquisitive face. “So, why did you name your mabari Pup and not something else? Doesn’t that confuse her with other Fereldan hounds?”

“That isn’t her name.” Cullen slowly returned to his sneaker feet. His hair broke from the pomade, curling every which direction. “Her name is-“  The history professor froze, whiskey eyes wide staring at the elf waiting by the front door.

“Yes?” Neria waited with a curious expression.

“Um…” He mumbled the name under his breath.

Surana’s long elven ears twitched to the point her earrings jingled, leaning towards Cullen. “I must have heard that wrong. What was that…?” There was a small grin across her lips. She put down the food bag by the hall bookcase.

Maker, he forgot about elves’ amazing hearing. “Yes, it’s _Surana_ , all right?! There’s a reason! I swear.”

Neria crossed her arms over her griffon necklace. “And what would that be? She’s at least six years old so it wasn’t from meeting me again.”

Cullen pinched his nose as his whole face flushed purple. “When I retired from the templars, I needed a support hound. The explosion that caused my head injury sometimes makes me confused and develop violent migraines. I can even have a seizure if I miss a medication dose. The Templar Veteran Affairs linked me with a mabari support hound to help my recovery and tell me when I am having spell or a migraine is about to happen. During training, she was still just a pup. She got overly excited and would just go crazy. Spin in circles and jump all over me. I got so frustrated then that I just kept cussing, ‘Surana, so bloody doing that!’ She did not have a name yet, but she responded when I called her ‘Surana.’ So, the trainer thought it a fitting name. Thus _Surana the Mabari._” Cullen waved to his grey and white mabari panting by the front door. The ex-templar trembled with butterflies about being caught naming his hound the same name.

Neria was beet red. Her whole tiny body shook while containing her laughter. She covered her face with her wild ginger fluff. “Sullen, that is the greatest thing I have ever heard!” She flung her hair outwards and released her nasally cackling. She turned the doorknob while reaching for her satchel by the coats. “I left one hell of an impression on you, apparently!”

Cullen growled, following the hounds out the front door, snatching the food before she had to struggle with it and her satchel. “More like traumatized me to the point I enjoy screaming your name at my puppy every time she pissed me off.”

“I find it all an honor!” Neria giggled, holding her hand to her cackling chest. “I can’t wait until I tell Dorian and Zevran!”

“Maker’s breath…Please don’t!”

Cullen caught her already texting on her smartphone after closing the apartment door. “Too late!”

“Damn it, Surana!” Both the elf and mabari lifted their head at him waiting for the next statement or command. Maker, that will get old quickly!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	5. A Second Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the last **Safe for Work** chapter of this short story! For those of you not interested in the smut, stop reading after this chapter. For those of you excited for some fun, keep going!
> 
> Thank you all for reading this fun and fluffy journey! ^^!
> 
> Remember to check out this short story's playlists on [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Hj9kXTPLf6NGJwMHaf81Q?si=vvIKMtgmSHKIiwURwBt7VA) and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw4onCkm8zQYUqa96OKM1PTI5yUnr7wOO) !

“What in the Maker’s name am I reading?!” Cullen flung himself forward, re-reading the student paper’s sentence again, this time aloud. “ _The Champion of Kirkwall was the kinda guy who would DM a hawty on Tinder saying ‘Want to Netflix and Chill,’ then ghost her afterwards because he was too busy yeeting an arrow at the nutter Meredith._” Cullen lowered the paper from his face. “What did that even mean!?”

Neria busted out laughing in his kitchen, running about making that grading night’s homemade dinner. She insisted that grading party at his house and on a Saturday, a first for their weekly gatherings. Since she arrived over two hours ago, the short elf bustled around and refused Cullen to even enter his own kitchen until everything was ready. The smell coming out of the room was driving Cullen to salivation. He was _starving!_

The past month’s grading evenings had been at her apartment. Since initially meeting her magical war hound, Cullen grew to appreciate the skeleton. For a dead animal, his sharp reflexes resembled mabari fighting by the king’s army during the Battle of Ostagar. Neria noticed Cullen’s relaxation around the magical dog. She offered her place for some of their gatherings now. Cullen agreed just because he had not gotten a good look at her living space beyond discovering her in-depth study of necromancy. Apparently, she excelled at digital photography. Cullen learned that one when she fought him all one night for a photo to send his family since he had not visited in years. 

Cullen stopped by the apartment more often now beyond their weekly grading evenings just to hang out. His driving route home shifted so he could remark he was in the area. Neria did not buy it the first time, but afterwards, Cullen had a load of random groceries and beg for one of her now department-wide famous food. After Neria cooked a feast for the history student club’s “Meet A Professor” lunch seminar, all the faculty and graduate students discovered her cooking talents. Grudgingly, Cullen shared his leftovers with the other professors to keep them from harassing him for keeping such deliciousness to himself. 

The Fereldan professor conceded on the fifty-dollar game. He discovered if he went grocery shopping even without a list, Neria will purchase nothing and thus save her own money. So in a way, he won that challenge. Now, she just sends him the ingredient list, and he picks up everything. _Never buy that brand ever again_, she wrote the last time he bought a cheap beef consume that apparently ‘ruined’ her Orlesian Onion Soup. 

Mia mocked the friends skipped the whole romance step and just became domestic married couple that stupidly lived in separate buildings. Thank the Maker he never told her about almost asking Surana to move out of her crazy slaughter-blood magic apartment. His eldest sister already threatened to just set up a wedding and just lore them to the altar with a rare copy of Brother Genitivi’s _In Pursuit of Knowledge: The Travels of a Chantry Scholar_. While yes, that would definitely get Cullen to come and visit. However, he will stay clear of South Reach knowing his sister would set up a wedding and invite their friends secretly. Cole, the department undergraduate student helper, would keep the whole affair secret with his ‘forget’ ability.

That particular evening, the professor convinced the elven mage to bring her war hounds to his house. His fenced-in backyard allowed the mabaris to play without people stopping and staring at the vine dog like at the park. Hearing the mabaris barking at passing vehicles and hearing Neria’s humming from the kitchen, Cullen felt like his house was truly a home. 

Mia’s observation about their domestic interactions pierced the blond Fereldan’s brain every time he witnessed Neria’s hair flutter about his house. While his eldest sister definitely thought too far ahead, the whole romancing step became too much to drown out. Nearly three months of her in the ex-templar life, and Cullen finally might try. Having her in his life brought a sense of peace he missed since leaving the archive that summer. Neria needed to be in his life now. She represented the chaotic stillness of the archive, the smell of delicious dinners for books, and a wealth of information in a small elven head. 

Cullen had deep feelings for his former high school nemesis. He always wanted to be in her presence. May it be just grading papers, or playing chess at the campus coffee shop. More and more, everyone’s nosy little coaxing to ask her on a real proper date nagged him to the point he actually had intentions to do so tonight. When he asked if she had plans for that evening, Neria railroaded him instead to have their grading fete then. She practically begged. Realizing Surana could ask him to walk off a bridge, he would probably do it knowing somehow she would vine spring him back to safety. She would then snort and laugh at him for falling from such an old turn of phrase.

Okay, maybe not asking her on a date was for the best.

Every so often Cullen witnessed puffy wild ginger curls pass behind his kitchen bar. He had bought her a footstool to reach the counter more easily after she almost sliced off her finger last month and after seeing her step up in her own kitchen. Her freckled face would popped back up over the tiled counter to reach for another ingredient for dessert. Her meals grew in size to include desserts and fresh baked bread. If Cullen loved her meals, he devoured her sweets, especially her plain sugar cookies. From the smells, he knew dessert was apple-related. He had seen her bring homemade pie dough with her secret spices mix. Apple pie perhaps?

Neria leaned her head around the bar for a second. Her glassless freckled face smirked at him. He still had not asked if she wore contacts now. She only wore the contacts on their evening get-togethers. “Have you ever listened to your students talk?”

Cullen just blinked, his mind trying to remember what they were initially talking about. His wandering eyes flicked between the elf and the paper in his hands. “Yes, just this is…ugh.” He pinched his nose, placing it the top of Neria’s grading stack. “I feel like my IQ dropped reading that.”

“Does that mean I win this week’s worst paper award?” That iconic nasally voice asked as she worked in the kitchen.

“No no no!” Cullen hollered, grabbing his mid-term papers for a good one. He knocked off her pile of bracelets that she removed before cooking anything. “I’m on a winning streak. I can’t lose to _that!_ Besides, I don’t even think that’s Dwarven Common!”

“Have you ever went to Urban Dictionary? I had to even understand a lick of that mess.” Neria admitted. Cullen heard his oven door open. About forty minutes ago, Neria slipped in their evening meal to bake. What was it that which pulled him like a lost planet into that scrumptious orbit? Whatever the meal was, it was a savory pie and _very_ Fereldan. Any Fereldan who passed his house right now will stop their car and knock on the door for a slice. 

Neria continued on her point. “Don’t get me started on text emoji speak! I did an online question opportunity the evening before their mid-term exams. Oh nelly, the stuff they sent me! I felt like my seven-language fluency meant _nothing_ seeing all these eggplants and peaches on my laptop screen!”

“Eggplants and peaches?” Cullen quizzed with a scrunched brow. “Why would students use fruits and vegetables?” Hadn’t Sera done something like that…?

“Cully Wally Stanley Rutherfart, you sound like a hundred-year-old Dalish keeper who never used the internet.” Neria joked. A spoon clamored against the tile floor. She cursed under her breath. “Ask Sera the next time you see her.”

Cullen froze. If it had to do with that pranking graduate student, he did not need to know. “I would like to avoid peaches rolling out of my office, thank you. She’s been sending me such faces after getting my cellphone number somehow.” Should he change his phone? Just for the sake of not knowing anything she was miming out. 

The elf giggled with a little hop. “Have you figured out her speak yet?”

Cullen grabbed his cellphone, copied the first set of symbols from months ago and searched them on Google. He read a forum that had hundreds of them in specific orders. “Maker’s breath!”

Neria’s snorting boomed from his kitchen. The mabaris started barking at the majestic nasally sound. “You going to tell me?”

Cullen quickly deleted that and every other message from that twisted elf. What happened in the foster system to produce such wierdos!? “N-n-n-no.” He turned off his smartphone. The idea of _that_ …!? On Neria…?! Suddenly, vivid delectable images popped up in his mind. Oh Maker, he felt himself stiffening. This cannot happen right not. When he was alone at night, yes, he allowed them as fantasies. However, not while the woman was bloody right here!

“Fuddy duddy. I’ll ask her Monday.” Neria waved a tea towel his direction. She missed him adjusting himself and willing his blush away. “Dinner will be ready in a few. Eat in here or in the living room?”

“In the living room. I have my research all over the dining tabling right now. I have the end of the month deadline for my journal article on the Siege of Adamant.” The ex-templar smiled, his eyes fondly watching the ginger wisps bouncing right above his kitchen bar. “By the way, thanks for that contact within the wardens. They never let me view their archives without signing over my firstborn.”

“No problem.” Neria sang as she brought plates and utensils into the living room. “Stroud is a great warden, not so stuffy with secrets and digital archive records.”

“You would think after the last archdemon dying fifty years ago they would loosen up a little more.” Cullen remarked, clearing off the coffee table for their meal. It felt cathartic removing such horrible freshman papers out of sight. Yet, they needed grading, so never out of mind. “Even the Chantry archives are mostly open to researchers now.”

“Wardens have ages of secrets still viable to today’s world. If it wasn’t for Corypheus making every warden have the false Calling even that would still be an unknown fact. Yes, the Fifth Blight’s Hero of Ferelden found the cure for the Blight, but it did not mean Grey Wardens would just unbutton their lips. I hypothesize there are still hundreds of events no one outside that order know about waiting for a historian like me to blast them right open.” Neria’s face flashed red, her passion for her historical research overwhelming her again. 

The elven associate professor always got wild and perky when she discussed her research. Cullen read her dissertation and first book a few weeks ago on the Fifth Blight. It was like an adventure novel how Duran Aeducan saved the world in just a year, but Neria made the surviving wardens realistic and not fabled larger-than-live warriors as previous historians had portrayed. It was the Brecilian Forest clan that Neria visited and lived among for that year in ungraduated school. She used their oral stories to make the Hero relatable, thus making his life that much more heroic.

Cullen chuckled, seeing Neria’s big eyes dancing at the opportunity to introduce the world to the true Grey Wardens. “How did you like my article on the people before becoming wardens?” She asked as she rushed back into the kitchen for the main dish.

“They still select murderers on death row for the order?” Cullen quizzed, reminding on her rough draft article she wrote last week. She was still editing the work, but any major peer-reviewed historical journal will publish it. She enjoyed causing schisms in the discipline. It explained why Leliana and she got along so well.

“Yup!” The elf sang putting on oven mittens twice her hand size. “A warden name Darrian Tabis, who slaughtered a house of nobles for raping his best friend, killed the last archdemon. He was on his way to the execution room when a warden commander invoked the right of conscription. We would be knee deep in darkspawn now if it wasn’t for that elven man! Like come on! It was his wedding day, and they kidnapped the brides for sex slavery! They should have given him medals, not death row! I swear, sometimes I think we still live in medieval Thedas.”

“If that was the case, we would be on two sides of a massive Circle war.” Cullen commented, grimacing at watching such a genius woman waste away in a Circle just because she was a mage. 

While Neria might use her magic for jokes and pranks, she never harmed with it. Her particular use of her talents focused on bettering the environment and promoting life and happiness. If anything, she just used it to defend the innocent and herself. Cullen could name about a dozen times when bullies were wrapped in vines for beating up a disabled student or an underclassman. The hedge mage rescued even his baby sister, Rosalie, on the first day of high school. 

A vine spider hopped on Cullen’s knee. “Maker’s breath!” He purged the spell, watching the plant root fall over on the floor and die. He glared in the kitchen's direction. 

Wicked cackling echoed from the tile room. “You gotta admit, I keep you on your toes, Nighty Knight.”

“You would have spent months in solitary confinement for such childish stunts.” Cullen mumbled. He kicked the vine as far away as possible, knowing she could revive the plant.

The overhead lights and lamps around the living room shut off at once. Cullen lifted his head and glanced around. Maker, did this old house flip a breaker again-

“Happy Birthday to you….” A nasally elven voice horribly sang. Cullen’s dilating eyes flashed towards the kitchen where Neria carried out a large Pyrex glass dinner dish with a single candle lit on top. Cullen pinched his nose, grinning to himself. “Happy birthday to you…”

“Neria, please don’t.” Cullen chuckled, watching the elf get closer.

“Happy birthday dear, broody old Human!”

“Please stop.” His laughter kept getting louder.

“Happy birthday to you!” Neria screamed, sitting the dinner pie down on an oven mitten on top of the coffee table. She sat down on the single-person plush chair across from Cullen. “Blow out your candle!”

Cullen just shook his head. “How did you know it was my birthday?”

“I still remember your parent’s phone number, Cullen. Don’t you think childhood stalker would forget such an important date?” The elf pointed out with a perked red brow.

The ex-templar walked into that one. He thought he could go through his birthday with no one remembering. He put his cellphone on silent before to avoid his family singing to him. Evidently, Neria’s childhood and historical sharp mind recalled such an important date. Any good historian will recollect such dates on the fly and usually what day of the week they occurred.

The ex-templar did not mind this. When she suggested their grading night on that Saturday, Cullen secretly got excited he would spend his thirty-sixth birthday with such an amazing woman. That was one reason why he considered asking her out on a date in a small hope she might agree and really make the personal holiday special. Alas, as usual, Neria surprised him instead. She caught him off guard or unaware. Yet Neria’s little annoying pranks and jokes made him float on this air. His heart thump hard in his chest. She made him feel younger and alive than even in his youth.

“Thanks, Neri.” Cullen smiled at the elf sitting crossed-legged across from him.

The historian waved out in front at the pie. “Go on! Blow out your candle! Fereldan traditional Shepard’s Pie is best right out of the oven!”

“How did you Shepard’s Pie is my favorite-“  He held up his head. “Never mind. Your mind still too sharp for your own good.” Neria just gave a toothy grin.

Cullen blew out the candle. Just small breath extinguished the flame. Smoke began to rise, but a flame bounced right back. The knight blew again, watching closely as smoke rose again. It lit again.

Two whiskey eyes flashed to a smiling innocent looking elf. “Surana…”

“What?” She waved her hand. “Blow it out.”

“Is this a trick candle?”

“No. I didn’t know they still made those.”

Cullen sat suspiciously, but let it go. He blew it out again. Five seconds passed before it lit again. A tingle of magical residue passed his nose. “Stop it, Neria.”

“I did nothing.” She pouted. She fluffed her big ginger hair out of her face, trying to look innocent without giving a huge big grin or giggle. “Did you lose all that templar stamina, old man?”

“If I remember correctly, I’m only two months older than you.”

“You are, Grandpa.”

Cullen blew it out again. He felt the magical surge and purged the spell, but was off by a second. It relit again. “ _Stop_.”

Blow. Light.

“I’m hungry. Stop it.”

Blow. Light.

Now Cullen stood up and hovered over the candle. Neria bit her lips, trying to contain her laughter. She swiped her big hair out of way to avoid lighting it instead.

Blow. Light.

Blow. Light.

Cullen barely could contain his own laughter now. “I will eat this even if it is still on fire next time. One last time: _stop it._ ”

“Man, you sure you don’t have COPD, Gramps? Can’t even blow out a candle!” Neria joked, eyes alight from her magic use. “Maybe I should have bought you a rocker for your birthday.”

“Maker’s breath, woman…” Cullen roared with laughter. “ _I’m hungry!_ ”

“Then go on!” Neria waved, jumping to her bare feet. She wore a jersey dress today. It was tight to her upper body and flowy around her short legs. Like all her other clothes, she hemmed this dress too for her petit form. She wore other makeup beyond her flashy lipstick. Mascara and light sparkly eyeshadow made her eyes pop. “ _Blow it out!_ ”

Taking a huge breath, Cullen blew with all his might. He felt Neria sustain the fire spell to keep the candle lit the whole time. Her tiny freckled fingers glowed as Cullen pushed all the air out of his lungs. They both knew he spit all over the top of the Shepard’s Pie, but neither cared.

Neria burst out laughing, her bouncy botticelli curls followed her hilarities as all the air left Cullen’s lungs. He took a full gasping breath, holding onto the couch to keep from falling over from lack of oxygen. Still, that damn single candle stayed lit. Magic and nullification abilities hovered in the air as the two historical enemies played around like there never were grievances between mages and templars.

Cullen threw himself off the couch. “That’s it! You’re getting it!”

Neria yelped as Cullen ran around the coffee table and reached for her. The mage casted a spell to blow out the candle, leaving both adults in darkness, running around the living room. As an elf, she could see just fine in low light, while Cullen had to rely on knowing his own house to avoid injury. 

Neria hopped onto the couch, trying to weave her way away from Cullen’s massive hands. The mabaris outside sat by the backdoor barking, pouting they were missing all the chasing fun. Barkspawn’s vines reached for the locked doorknob in hopes to get in without the owners’ help. Neria barely could keep her petite stature on the cushions and avoiding Cullen’s callused hands. 

Right as she would jump off the sofa back, Cullen caught her around the waist. Pulling the elven mage to his harden body, Cullen’s face met a mess of curls and ginger. Neria’s laughing carried non-stop throughout the living room, while trying to wiggle away. “If I remember right, you’re ticklish!” Cullen threatened, his fingers get her around the stomach. She pleaded as she arced her back over his large shoulder to cover her sides from his wiggling fingers assault. The ex-templar could maneuver the tiny being easily in his long arms, but her damn crazy curls kept getting in his vision.

Finally, Cullen nearly lost the hold on Neria, while the elf reached for the hairband on her wrists. She pulled back the craziness. A big puff of ginger poked out of the nape like when she exercised at the gym. Her entire face was purple from merriment. Her freckles looked like one big rust dot across her pointed facial features. Her nose snorted several times from how hard she was cackling.

Cullen lowered the elf from his shoulder, still keeping a lion’s grasp on her bony hips. He knew if gave Neria an inch, she will use it and run a mile. She weighed nothing in his arms despite her exercising and constant eating. Little muscle strain kept her in place at his height.

Whiskey orbs glowed gold meeting her big expressive eyes still powered from mana use. He realized it was the first time their faces lingered so close. He always towered over her. Even in middle school, she stood to his shoulder before his puberty growth spurt. Now, she barely reached above his elbow. Strangers wondered if she was half-dwarf too.

Now though with her crazy ginger hair out of their faces and the nape of her neck using his shoulder as rest, they were just centimeters apart. Her puffy gathered curls at the neck forced her rolled face towards his chin. Now, the color red flushed across her elven features so close and beautiful. At her short height, Cullen never fully appreciated her defined jaw, pointed nose, and slanted eyes. She rarely wore makeup, but that night she had just as for the first time she wore a dress, not leggings and baggy blouses.

That had to mean something, right?

Her panting relaxed, no longer quick and harsh against his blushing cheeks. Their noses brushed together, sending a nervous and exciting shock down his neck and spine. Even in his dark living room, Kirkwall’s city lights down above the main road shined in through the windows giving them both a halo effect. Each passing car highlighted the strawberry blonde in each elven curl, while demonstrating in their chasing all his wavy curls broke free from his manicured combed hair.

Hesitancy and nervousness rolled through the Fereldan military professor. Suddenly he was sixteen again after seeing Neria perform in _Much Ado About Nothing_. Neria played Beatrice barely tall enough to reach Sten’s waist, who played Benedick. Cullen remembered the play, his jealousy of how such a tall Qunari guy got to marry tiny Neria. After the performance, Neria hopped up to the scowling Cullen, asking his opinion. In his grumpiness, he told her he hated it all. Rosalie called him a moron later, overhearing his lying slander.

Suddenly, the thirty-six-year-old hated his reaction back then seeing how Neria stared at him closely. Cullen never saw her reaction that must have been utter disappointment if she cared about him so much and truly wanted his opinion. He wanted to go back in time and change their history together. Mia was right. He cared about her way back then too. In his hatred for the spunky elf, he actually loved her for being so enchanting. For all her teasing, tricks, and besting him, Neria made him into the man he desired to be. He missed his chances then to be with her.

 _Don’t blow this opportunity, Rutherford_ , Cullen thought staring at her red lips so close to his facial scar.

Cullen leaned closer. Again, absolute fear rolled through him. What if he read everything wrong again, his jaded head so far up his rectum to see Neria’s true intentions? He missed his chance decades ago miscalculating her attentions as challenges and bullying. So what it was his birthday, and she went so many lengths to make it special. Yes, she wore a dress that she typically would never be caught in and makeup that only accented her freckles instead of hide them.

The former templar went to move his head away as Neria surged forward and pressed her lips to his, stopping Cullen in his tracks. His eyes widened before slowly closing. Neither person moved, even if he was holding the elf off the floor. He did not dare move his lips in fear it will break this storybook kiss.

Suddenly, he was Benedick tricked into confessing he was madly in love with his nemesis, beautiful Neria Beatrice. Every track meet he would scold her for calling him silly nicknames became his favorite moments because she was there cheering for him. She sat on his office desk at the history department giving his advice on how to improve a book chapter on Grey Warden military inclusion into the Inquisition army. She only enhanced him, pushed him that extra step over the finish line. Still, he wanted to be better _for her._

Cullen tentatively pressed his lips to her. He wanted to test the waters. Push his tongue between those glossy lips he craved for decades so maybe she will let him in-

-Neria pulled away, brown eyes wide. She looked like a scared fennec. Cullen felt like he was kicked in the gut. His arms let go allowing her bare feet hit the rug-covered floor again.

With a hand wave, Neria relit the birthday candle. She pulled out the hairband out of her, covering her beet-red face with big ruffled ginger curls. Her fingers twirled around the curls, that nervous tick. A small meek tone filtered through the puff of hair.

Cullen took a step back, fearing he missed his chance or that he did something she _definitely_ did not want. “…what?” He whispered, his whiskey eyes shimmering in the candlelight. No no no. He did not want this to end. He already lost his chance. He waited too long. He could only have friendship with her, but even that might be ancient history now.

Neria flicked all her fluffy hair out of her scared and embarrassed face. “I buggered everything up, haven’t I?”

Before Cullen could ask for clarification— _fix this—_ the elf already started pacing the single candlelit living room. “I buggered it up… _again!_ Cullen, I lied. I never stopped having a crush on you. I saw your name at the university while searching for a new employment because Denerim _sucked_. Just your _name_ lit me up with warm fuzzy feelings. I went for the interview, and you weren’t there. I was so disappointed, but I thought it best. ‘There is no way, no how such a cool, handsome guy like a tiny ant-sized crazy elf anyway!’ I thought. I got the job. Josie said there was a professor I needed to meet and _puff_! There you were in your chair! I almost fainted. My heart stopped. Josie must have heard it restart. It was _loud!_ ”

“No, instead of being nice and polite, I became an absolute _idiot_ and called you names. You _hated_ me again, just like in high school! I couldn’t stop. I just repeated history again. I blamed Sera for the pudding and pomade. Nope! I _gave_ her those ideas. I should have told you when you called me out, but I was sooooo stupid! I never changed. You make feel all wild, and I thought there was no way he could _every forgive me!_ ”

Cullen tried to catch Neria’s attention in her pacing. “Sur-“

Her pacing turned into full laps around the living room. Cullen just watched as Neria’s panic escalated. “-They you asked to clear the air. Try to work together. I was like okay. I told you I _used to have a crush_ when I knew one look at you brought a field’s worth of butterflies fluttering in my stomach and knocked the air out of my lungs. You gave me a chance for friendship. I learned to have to keep my crazy unrequited feelings at my apartment everyday so I could be just your friend. We started to hang out. You didn’t have any food. I love to cook.” She waved to the cooling Shepard’s Pie on the coffee table. “I didn’t let myself think the best way to a guy’s heart was his stomach. No way. Friends. Friends. Friends. That’s it.”

“Surana, wait-“

Her words started to run together as a panic attack loomed, now power-walking in a circle around the couch. “Then you meet Barkspawn! Big test! Can an ex-templar stand a crazy elf with a vine dog? Yup! Okay, now I am head over heels. I admitted to myself. Even told my cousin, Valren Surana, my only living family. He laughs at me, the depressing prat. I blame his wife, Morrigan, for his sourness. Deflated again. Get a private message on Fadebook. Mia Rutherford messaged me!?-“

Cullen shook his head a few times. Mia messaged her online! Maker’s breath! Of course his bloody sister could not leave it alone.

“-She asks about us. I freak out. No, I can’t let Cullen know my feelings. Crazy elven mage who has tortured him for the last two and some decades. Definitely can’t let him know. We hang out more. His birthday. Oh nelly, his birthday is coming up! I can’t keep this to myself anymore. I got to tell him. In true nervous fashion, I annoy the heck out of you instead.”

“Neria!”

Neria stopped in front of Cullen again, waving. “And I stupidly _kissed you!_ I buggered everything up again!” Her whole body panted and trembled, the weight of her entire confession too much for her petite frame. “Everything was in the past, and I still fouled it up!”

Cullen slapped both big hands on her shoulders to keep her still. He prayed she stayed. He had to fix this. “ _Breath…!”_

Tears threatened to pour to from her glassy eyes. “But I buggered it up…” The elf whimpered, biting her red curls. “I…”

Cullen cupped each big hand around her clattering jaw. He leaned over her, his back arching to reach her face. “You didn’t.”

Her mouth fell open, and her tongue flung out. “What?!” She could not break her wide stare from his beaming relieved face. “I-I-I-I kissed you without permission. It was just your face was just _there_ like right now…?”

Cullen chuckled. He kissed her freckled forehead. “Well, if you shut your mouth for a few seconds, I might get a chance to admit I’m crazy for you too.”

“You mean like…needing a straight jack crazy or…?”

“No, you infuriating wild necromancer. I like you…No, more than that, but you get my point!” Words failed him right now.

“ _No way!”_ Neria cried, her whole face bright red like an apple. “You’re too cool to like someone like me, Cullen. I’m a mess, and you’re…” She waved to his entire tall form. “… _gorgeous!_ I would know. I gawk at you at the gym like your lil’ fan club! That time I dropped the five-pound weight on my foot and nearly broke all my bones. You bent over and _showed me your rump!_ Clear as day. I thought I died and passed over the Veil it was so exquisite.”

Flicking a few red stray curls out of the way, Cullen smugly smirked. “And I find you the most annoyingly beautiful genius I’ve ever met. I’ve been thinking for months I lost my chance with my fat head up my own _apparently gorgeous_ rear end during high school. Now, all this history and chances around us now….” He sighed and leaned against her forehead with his brow. “I was a second too late to kiss you before you did it. _Again._ Always the bolder one of us.”

“Us…?” Neria chuckled as little tears trickled down her eyes. “Well, you take too long.”

Cullen joined in the chuckles. “Yeah, I know. But, expect this to happen again.”

His scarred lips cut off her response. It was not the tentative, shy kiss from before. No, Cullen dallied too long. His tongue followed the pursed line between her lips, asking for permission. She greedily opened for him, sighing into his mouth as he finally tasted her. She must have been testing her dinner creation because it resembled mashed potatoes, vegetables, and deliciousness. He cannot stop the groan rolling through him. Her hands snaked up his legs until gripping his untucked button-up shirt, his usual clothing choice teaching or lounging around his house.

Before her fingers could grasp the shirt tightly, Cullen lifted him up, so she pressed against his chest and at his height. Neria giggled against him, hanging onto his shoulders and neck. Her hips rolled and voice cooed. Cullen noticed how _happy_ and _excited_ she was about this second passionate kiss. Typically bashful of showing his arousal, Cullen responded in kind. They were both on the same page about each other. 

Barely separating their lips, Cullen murmured, “You’re too short.”

Neria nipped his scar and rolled her hips, replying, “Or you’re too tall.” He kissed her fervently, enticing a fantastic mewl from her lips. “No, I’m just too short.”

Directing her petite legs around his waist with a hip thrust and his other free hand, Cullen carried toward the long hallway at the back of his house. She practically sat on his forearm she was so small. “You should have drank your milk as a kid.”

Neria separated their lustful kisses just a moment. “I’m lactose intolerant, Sullen.” Her spidery fingers combed through his tossed waves, exploring parts of him she must have craved for years. Her fingernails scraped his scalp and down his neck. He surged forward, pinning her against the hall wall. They lingered there for a few moments, their minds not in their skulls. 

Cullen stopped his tight grabs on her behind, while her fingers teased his shirt collar. He took a step towards his bedroom. “Is that why you always threw cheese slices at me in the cafeteria in tenth grade?”

“Partially,” The elf admitted with a grin. “Also, you ate with Alistair Theirin so I knew he would eat it.”

“Maker, he did.” Cullen chuckled into her neck before kissing the pulse point under her jaw.

Neria nibbled at his earlobe, glancing over his shoulder. “Cullen, smite the candle. It’s a repeating spell.”

As told, the candle blew out. He licked the shell of her long pointed ear. “Should let the mabari in.”

Neria shuddered in his arms. Evidently, her ears were a turn on. Good to know. “ _Later…”_

Cullen teased and turned back towards the kitchen. “Maybe put away the food-“

Neria grabbed his face and staring him in the eye. Her pupils widen so much that no irises remained. “ _Later, Rutherfart!_”

Cullen cackled, returning to his ultimate goal: his bedroom. “Happy birthday to me…”

And the rest was…history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! XD!


	6. Challenged Accepted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> VERY NOT SAFE FOR WORK. NSFW!
> 
> Chapter Song: “Get You Alone” by Sleeping Wolf

“Damn it.” Cullen growled, entering his bedroom.

Cullen Rutherford always kept his home clean. He spent every Sunday picking up, dusting, and vacuuming the house so he had a clean home throughout the week. The tick lingered from his time in the templars. If his commanding officer found anything off in his barracks room, they would write up and punish Cullen. That only happened two times during his service time. No, as a kid, his mother threatened to ground him and a month of chores if he did not keep the house neat.

Then he became a professor.

Neria glanced over her shoulder, blowing her curls away. “Someone’s been a busy scholar…”

Books, papers, hard drivers, and other research items cluttered Cullen’s entire bed. Typically, such stuff would stay in his office next door or on his dining room table. However, that morning, Cullen suffered a brief stroke when he could not locate an inter-library loan book. It was a rare professionally printed journal of the Inquisition’s commander and Inner Circle advisor during the Dragon Age. The original handwritten journal disappeared a hundred years after the Exalted Council. 

The original journal appeared in the belongings of a famous dwarven writer known during the time to exaggerate real events. His descendants wanting to demonstrate that his book _All This Shit Weird: the Story of Helah Casdash_ actually was not embellished and published the commander’s journal to the surprise of _his_ descendant, thus starting a publication war across southern Thedas. Cullen spent months e-mailing libraries who had the printed journal begging for access. It always escaped his grasp through his doctorate dissertation to now. Finally, one university in Jadar loaned it on the basis he treated it well and returned it by Monday. Cullen’s original weekend plan involved digitizing the whole thing for the history department.

Even dodging magister spells and rifle fire did not make the historian scream bloody murder thinking he lost that precious primary source. Cullen tore apart his entire office, dumping the contents on his bed because it was the only empty space on that side of the dwelling. Two hours later, he located the printed journal…in his messenger bag…in his SUV perfectly safe and in its original loan plastic bag.

Past relieved Cullen really screwed over present aroused Cullen with the most precious elven woman he craved for decades in his arms and ready for a night of passion.

“Fuck.”

Neria chuckled into Cullen’s neck, kissing the stubble every so often. “Lost something?”

“Yeah.” He exhaled frustration.

“Primary source?”

“Yup.”

“Find it?”

“Yes. It wasn’t even _in_ my office.”

Neria beamed up at him. Both red eyebrows wiggled. “You know what that means.”

Cullen wrinkled his brow, confused. “No?”

“Your desk is clear.” The elf gave him a cheeky grin.

The ex-templar kissed the mage long and hard in his arms. “I love your genius mind!” He pivoted on a socked foot and immediately left his trashed bedroom. On the other foot, he made an immediate right into his clustered office with a mostly clear desktop.

Cullen barely gave the remaining documents on the wooden surface a second glance before flinging them all over the floor with his free arm. An empty bottle of wine likely from one of Dorian’s binges smashed against the wall. The Tevinter mage demanded to visit his house after discovering Neria had been many times. His mind did not even register the shattering glass across the carpet, only how much he desired the elf rolling her hips against his abdomen in playful teasing.

Cullen sat Neria down on the desk corner. His long legs kicked whatever else lingered nearby so he could fully press himself against the seated elf without restrictions. Years of precious research meant nothing but a nuisance separating him from the woman of his dreams.

“How did you know?” The man growled affectionately, leaving a line of kisses and nips down her pointed jaw and freckled neck. He nudged her jersey dress’ scooped neckline down and a little off her shoulder. His kisses ran the breath of her shoulders. He saw no bra strap, meaning she had been running around his house with just that cotton dress separating his eyes from a fantastic view. Her hatred of bras benefited them tonight. Knowing her, that particular clothing choice seemed deliberate for the evening. Maker, this woman thought of _everything!_

This wild woman planned for such important moments and winged the rest. No wonder her chess strategies confused the Fereldan professor all the time. Maybe he needed more organized chaos too…

Starting tonight.

“Ever had sex in a library?” Neria quizzed, unbuttoning his dress shirt quickly with her quick fingers.

“Yes.” He admitted, while holding her curly hair from her pointed ear and kissing around the shell. Cullen enjoyed the sounds and trembles rippling from the mage. Even her magic quaked at the gesture. “Typical undergraduate quickies in the stacks during finals week.” He pulled out the hoop in each ear so he could kiss the bottom lobe. “Didn’t truly appreciate it until graduate school. Pulling all-nighters for my compositions in my library booth room. Didn’t even open a book most nights. Sighs off high ceilings always did something for me.”

Neria chuckled, finally reaching his white undershirt. Her fingers kept leaving the buttons to direct his kisses back to her lips. Cullen’s affections kept making her forget how to move voluntarily. “If you think libraries are great, wait until you roll in an archive. Archives are better, just remember to not have any fragile sources out. You know, priorities.” Cullen laughed once, shaking his head. “The ancient archive in Minrathous? Amazing ceiling acoustics. Dorian and I both agree the southwest hall has the sturdiest desks.” She flipped off his dress shirt down his buff arms. 

Her next words died on her lips, studying his body. She cleared her throat and locked eyes with his. “Have I ever told you have a body of an Avvar _god?”_

Cullen stopped his undressing, leaning over the woman. With a few more hand flicks, his dress shirt cuffs fell over his wrists. The garment found its rest by the broken wine bottleneck about two feet away. Lasting drips of wine colored the white fabric. Oh well.

He made his breaths tickle the shell of her pointed long ears still moistened from his previous kisses. He needed her a bitmore shocked. “You haven’t seen nothing yet.”

Neria shivered as her elven ear went bright red and heated. “ _Off! Now!”_ Her hands flailed at his undershirt. She gripped it under his arms and tugged upwards to release the seam from his jean waist. Cullen batted her hands away to do it himself. So instead, Neria pulled up her dress skirt instead.

Cullen removed his undershirt and tossed it over his shoulder. The elf froze, mouth gaping and not admitting any sound. Her big brown eyes just stared at his physique. Neria’s speechlessness must be a first in all the years he knew her. No matter if it was whistling, giggling, or rambling about something historical, the woman never shut up. Now as her eyes followed his scarred but sculpted form, no sound emerged. For a second, Cullen wondered if she died from shock. 

Then Neria broke from her gawking to hastily kick her long skirts up over her knees. His whiskey golden eyes watched as she exposed her short legs: shapely, soft, and smooth. Freckles colored the tops of her peeking thighs. Cullen forgot what he was doing, his hand catching her ankle, his fingers followed up her sheens, behind the knees, and up her soft thighs to stop at the seam of where her underwear _should_ be. With just one arm, he lifted her so the skirt slipped out from under her bottom and puddled on the desk surface. 

A brief peek of navy blue string thong lace panties flashed the ex-templar before Neria pulled him back in for a tongue-heavy kiss. His brain replayed the exciting hidden sight. It did not stay though as her nimble fingers flowed up the planes of his abdomen and chest; her digits cool against his excited skin, but not too much to chase him away.

Like he would run from this woman now.

While much of Neria Surana was small and short, her mouth and tongue were long and reaching. With each engulfing kiss, Cullen felt her tongue reaching and exploring his mouth. A growl-inducing idea of what that reaching tongue could do flickered across his mind. Her fingers mimicked that tongue, combing his chest hair and followed the coarse hair trail to his jeans waistband. While swallowing her giggles with long passionate kisses, her fingers struggled to undo his belt. The leg not being touched by Cullen reached out with her ankle and pulled him closer via his back knee. No part of her stopped, and Cullen would holler.

One thing Cullen found he loved about that fluffy ginger hair was how wonderful it was to grip her curls and direct her head. She never protested the grip, just moved her head where he guided like she felt his fingers, but no single hair or curl got pulled. There was just an ungodly amount of hair, always bouncing into their faces and made each passionate kiss have bits of frizzy strains mixed in. Every few kisses followed a string of spits that both adults giggled and understood as fellow curly hair sufferers.

As Neria’s fingers worked the belt, Cullen directed her gaze to meet his. Blackness encompassed each eye, sparkling and ready for anything he might conduct. Her wildness extended into sex too. Maker, his woman killed his boring life.

Brass dings notified him his belt was free. The professor grabbed the elf’s arms, directing them above her head. She gripped his neck, while his hands flowed down her curvy bony body to the dress seams. He rolled them up until the edge of her breasts. His peekies grazed the breasts’ underside where a stretchy hem clinched the dress tight to her upper body. Neria moaned and arched her back, allowing more of those hidden breasts to emerge from under the cloth. The scoop front gave him no clue to the actual size before. When he could watch them and not get a face-slapped by Cassandra during faculty lunches, they had grown into a fun size compared with her high school chest. So, his rush to see them completely overtook his desire to tease this little elven minx impatiently waiting for his attention.

The spandex hem slid up with the rest of the dress. Her hands unlocked around his neck until the whole garment was out of the way. Ever the wild one, Neria leaned back on her hands and crossed her ankles, putting herself on display for Cullen’s honey gaze. The man lost all hand function, the discarded garment slipping from his fingers.

And oh what a sight it was.

While most freckled people might loath the spots, Neria embraced the dots. Just as she had done in school with her red flashy hair, she welcomed her unique characteristics and ran with it. Maybe in the past, she hid the spots and pale skin beneath layers pf makeup and clothing. No, now on his office desk she was everything Cullen craved.

Years of weekly exercise and self-made meals made her soft, but slender. Her muscles rippled only in tightening movements, more focused on endurance than actual weightlifting. Her stomach lack pug but was not exactly flat and chiseled like those cross-fit addicts.

“Maker bless your breasts.” Cullen mumbled, drooling at the two pillowy mammaries free of any bra or other restrictive structure. They were not blaring big or extremely tiny as he might have expected. In her maintenance exercising, somehow she directed fat to the breasts where freckles encircled her pink nipples. They were still proportional to her relaxed body. In his home’s slightly chilly air, the pink-brown nipples perked and pointed, waiting impatiently for attention. Who was he to deny warming his elven guest in his chilly house?

Neria gasped, her spine rippling up his forearm as he lifted her off her hands. His scarred lips engulfed one nipple, while his other hand massaged the other breast. Her curly hair fell over her shoulders like a curtain opening her whole freckled neck. Her arms hung to her sides. Only her hands grasped his flexing biceps supporting her lightweight.

“Cullen…” She cooed, rolling her head away enjoying his suckling. His thumb flicked her other nipple, rising it into tight little balls. Goosebumps trickled all over her body as his lips left her nipple and kissed the soft skin over the whole breast. Her fingers clawed into his hair. “The other one…Please…”

Cullen glanced up with a smug look. “You have another one?”

Neria scowled at him. “Symmetry, you brute. Nature is a cycle that demands balance. You’re leaving me off-kilter!”

Cullen chuckled, his panting hovering over the slicked nipple he had been suckling before. He could see her growing frustrations: heavy pants, black glaring eyes, and clawing fingernails. “You, dear woman, have taunted and teased me for decades. I’ll have my revenge.”

Neria gripped his scalp hard and grunted. “I knew I fucked myself over!”

The ex-templar busted out laughing, ignoring her claws in his hair. “You will find _I’m_ the one who will be fucking you.” He shrugged like he did not have a care. “Eventually.”

One fist thumped against the wooden desk, but stopped once Cullen sucked the other nipple into his mouth and switched his massaging hand on the original breast. “Oh my crazy, I knew your stubble and scar would feel _fantastic_. You sat in that squeaky office chair…The moment I saw your face, I nearly hopped in your lap and licked it like a mabari bitch in heat! Abrasive, but smooth scar tissue. When I finally allowed myself to masturbate to your handsomeness after walking the hounds that day, I lost it thinking about that _scar!_ ” Her fingers combed over his pale Fereldan upper body. “These other battle-tested ones usually covered up are quite delectable too!

“If the templar doctor who sewed me up after the bombing told me a nearly naked woman on my desk years later would give me such a majestic description, I would have told him to shove any plastic surgery plan.”

“Thank your Maker you didn’t!” Neria grabbed his chin from her breast and directed him to kiss her hard. Their lips moved over each other so in sync that even Cullen hated his teasing. 

Cullen’s hand followed her ribs down to the thong’s string band above her hip, nudging them downward. Still with his other arm supporting her back, Cullen lifted her clean off the desk again to completely remove the unnecessary garment. It completed its purpose to taunt him. Now, it needed to _go!_ The lacy fabric loosen past her knees. Her kicking flung them somewhere in the tossed office. Maybe they will never find them. It will be like a scavenger hunt when the professor puts everything back together. He will not give them back though. Maybe pin it to the corkboard to stare at while writing his book?

Cullen did not realize he was chuckling at the image until Neria joined him. Her cackling rippled through her chest, making her boobs jump each exhale. He unlatched his sucking to watch, only giggling more at the sight.

“Mind telling me what’s so funny?” Neria questioned, tilting her head to side. Her red curtain of curls followed. 

Resting her supple round behind back on the wooden surface, Cullen leaned back so he could truly appreciate the elven forest nymph using his desk as a perch. Maker, the sight only got better. Even with the harsh overhead light brightening the blonder tones of her hair, she looked like she glowed. The freckles reminded him an artist spraying a canvas with rusty red paint to avoid blinding Cullen with such unique beauty.

“You’re not getting those panties back.” Cullen declared in a deep baritone tone. 

The demand sent a ripple through his prize on the desk. She bit her lip. “They’re expensive. You must get another?” That inquisitive brow jumped with her wink.

“Just as long you model them.” Cullen sassed back. 

“I don’t plan on letting anyone ever see them. Why else wear them but to only grace your orange orbs?”

Her declaration had many layers, and she knew it. She asked several things beyond this tryst on his birthday. Was this a one night of passion or the start of a long relationship? Openness to date others or exclusiveness? 

The question sounded sexy and full of lust. Yet under it shimmered a formerly broken heart, afraid what will come about from this rendezvous. Was the brokenness Cullen’s cause by his ignorance and idiocy back as teens? Or by another person who Cullen wished felt what they lost enough day and feel absolute agony for harming a single hair on this woman’s curly head? Neria’s genius hesitancy shined like her blacken eyes and twisted magic. She wanted to know how far this will ever go to prepare herself.

Cullen will not be his thick headed moron ever again. He will not let go of his woman who likely held his heart in her palms for anything. Only maybe after decades of bickering and great grandparents to a dozen children. Mia’s predictions for the future chimed to mind.

The Fereldan professor pulled Neria across the desk until her legs hovered over the edge. He towered over her short form. With his large legs caging her knees and thighs, Cullen responded, “Neria, you’re _stuck_ with me for a very _long_ time.”

Even with her lipstick mainly removed from dozens of kisses, Neria’s thick puckered lips curled into the most beatific smile ever. “I don’t then it’s _I_ stuck with _you_ , but _you’re_ stuck with _me_. As for how _long…_ ” Her fingers grazed his jean seam, barely containing his throbbing erection. “…don’t know exactly the length. Yet.” She winked again.

Cullen’s whiskey eyes silted. “And you won’t know. Not until I have a fill of your moans and pleading.” His lion hands slid down her body until reaching her knees. Just with thumb pads, he nudged them apart. “I know a good way to hear those sounds.” Out of his periphery, trimmed strawberry coarse hair poked out from her peppered groin.

“What am I supposed to do then while you search out such exclamations?” Neria purred, rubbing her cheek against his jaw before kissing his ear. “I get bored easily.”

“No vine spiders.” Cullen would not put it pass this nerve-wrecking woman. Those blown wide elven eyes rolled before grinning up at him. Yup, she thought of that.

One hand followed the inseam of her thighs, his fingers itching for the warmth covered by such coarse hairs. A single laugh huffed from his lungs. “ _Decades_ , woman, I’ve suffered from your magical assaults.” His index finger felt the hairs first. Neria gasped in his ear as his digits moved the lips aside. Her head fell back, legs widened as the hand searched the region until a familiar nib contacted the digit’s tip. “I told you I’m getting my revenge.” Her hands gave up from under her until she laid down on the wooden surface. His thumb slid down the lips, ginger hairs prickling the toughened skin. He purposely ignored the bundle now, spreading her nectar everywhere. She moaned, wiggling her hips. His other hand pressed down on the curve of her pelvis along her side. “Nope. No helping.”

The elf’s fingernails dragged across the varnish. Another memento for him to reflect on while working on his laptop. Maybe he won’t write his book in this office. Too many _distractions_.

Finding a dip in her anatomy, Cullen pressed his middle finger in, feeling a heat that his clothed shaft craved desperately. She was tight from his other lovers. This was the second time he has been with an elf. “Been awhile?”

Neria sighed and panted, feeling his fingers stretching her further. Her back arched again. “Saw your name on the department site and no other partner flicked to mind after that…” She mewled, feeling him place a second finger inside her. Her black eyes flashed up and stared into his smug gaze. “You _torturer!_ ”

Cullen’s own restraint wavered with each sound. He wished to fill her to the brim with his member and fuck her hard. “Fair about is foreplay.” He remarked with a haughty grin. He withdrew his fingers quickly, his thumb pad just grazing the bundle of nerves.

“Grrrr…” Neria withered, feeling no skin contact from her partner. Cullen positioned himself between her legs, his elbows cradling her knees. “No wonder they called you the Lion of Kinloch Hold High!”

Another tensing gasp left her lips as his tongue ran the breath of her whole groin. Her fingers gripped the side of the desk as his tongue dragged again across. It lingered against her bundle of nerves. “Did you ever wonder why before?” He asked, kissing the inside her thigh. His nose basked in her unique scent. Her arousal did something to him like her magic and smile. More of his control waned as his lips followed his tongue across her and lapped up those salty-sweet juices finer than her most ravenous dinners.

Neria literally sang that time. Her freckled body vibrated feeling every nerve jumping with her bundle of nerves. “No…” she squeaked. He chuckled before pressing a finger inside her again. His lips kissed the sensitive nib that made her quake. “Just like you probably wondered if the auditorium’s sound booth was actually _soundproof._ ”

“Neria Emma Surana, you wild woman…” Cullen giggled before suckling her clitoris. Another majestic note left her panting lungs. She was a singer _and_ a moaner. She _did_ sing the best during the school musicals. 

Maker, he was loving this.

“Drama geek…I always manned it alone during _someone’s_ choir dress rehearsals.”

Cullen jumped up and hovered over the trembling elf. “You didn’t!?”

“You had one hell of a baritone solo during _Gloria_ …” Neria kissed him quickly, getting a taste of herself on his swollen lips.

Okay, now Cullen was struggling. He kneeled back down, essentially folding her like a pretzel, hips bent back to nearly her breasts. Giving no reprieve, the professor sucked on her clitoris and buried his fingers into her canal. He needed her ready for him now. Her alone in that dark booth while he was… He groaned over the bundle of nerves.

“ _Delltash!_” She screamed in elven. Her hands flew to his forearms, nails dragging across his skin as he wiggled his digits inside her with each long dragging lick and suck. Her walls kept pulsing, her edge quickly coming. His outer fingers spread her lips more so his nasal breaths tickled the hairs.

Neria’s pelvis jumped as a third finger slid deep inside. Nectar dripped over his lips. Every time her thigh grazed his cheek she moaned so loudly it made the mabaris bark outside. She was close, her walls clamping his fingers with his fast heart rate. One tongue lap over the bundle-

The overhead lights flickered as a wave of magical energy flowed over the room with her explosive orgasm. No spells, just pure Neria mana. Her voice was both a cry and a single long note. Cullen pushed her back down the desk, her back arcing so far off he briefly saw her gifted vallaslin between her shoulder blades. He sustained that euphoria, his fingers constantly working within her. His lips and mouth lapped up every drip until her nectar ran down his chin.

Cullen only stopped his attentions when her small petite body went limp and used his forearms to support her leg weight. His nearly gone whiskey eyes studied his success. Neria lounged on the desk’s wooden surface slightly glistening with sweat and random shaking. Her pointed face was completely flushed that flowed down her neck and even basked her freckled breasts in blush.

“Happy…with… yourself?” The mage panted, her voice barely a whisper.

“The fact you can still think means I still have work to do.” The professor concluded with a perked brow. Mirth and pride dropped from each syllable at his lover’s condition.

“Then…” Neria crawled up onto her elbows. One elbow slipped on a bit of her arousal on the hardwood surface but slid back into place. “…what are you waiting for?” Even post-orgasm, this woman was challenging him.

“ _Oh ho_ , this will be rewarding…” Cullen chuckled with revenge and delight.

Then his brain caught up with him. His stash of condoms were in his bedroom next door. He held up one juicy finger. “Just one moment-“  He stepped back, ankles suddenly restrained. A glance down while tumbling backwards told him it was not Neria this time. Directly.

Found the thongs.

Neria burst out laughing, rolling all over his desk as Cullen slowly untangled himself from the now ripped lacy undies. “Still tripped you up, Track Star!”

Cullen’s scarred lip jumped a few times. He barreled out into the hallway, into his messy bedroom. Slipping on his socked feet, he tumbled again but caught himself on his dresser. Yanking the first drawer open and nearly out of the frame, Cullen dove his left hand for the box of condoms. Her cackling echoed throughout the entire house. Nothing worked with him as the foiled wraps twisted and refused to give up their prize. His own hand still slick with Neria could not grip the jean’s brass button.

“Why does everything have to be a _fucking_ struggle!?” The lion grunted finally got the button but the line of foil smacked his face. Another roll of laughter from the other room. “Keep that up, Surana, and you’ll find your department office completely flipped!”

“You mean a repeat performance at work? Wait until after Tuesday so Dorian and Zervan have to wait to find out how tonight went!”

Cullen rolled his frustrated amber orbs. “ _Another_ betting pool?”

“Two-hundred sovereigns with Varric in English keeping the books.”

“That’s it?!”

“You were taking too long to make a move, so they were giving up.”

“Were you?”

“I’m still waiting…” Neria sang with a nasal pitch like he was testing her patience.

“Oh…you elven minx….” Cullen shook his head. He kicked off his jeans, his free hand already pushing off the first sock.

By the time he was back in his office, the ex-templar shedded his jeans, socks, and boxers. Condom on and ready, grabbed the laughing mage, and lifted her up off the desk. Right as he was about to plunge into her heat, she grasped his penis from behind.

“You want me on top.” Her statement was final.

Cullen eyed her for a moment. Would she still do pranks even in the middle of passion? “Why…?”

“Short elf. Tall Human with…” She pumped him twice. Her fingers massaged at the same time as squeezed. “…extra girthy long penis. If you want _any_ chance for us to kiss during this, you’ll have me on top. Unless you don’t mind having the biggest kink in our necks that screams ‘we boned’ Monday morning.”

“Noted.” Cullen admitted, twirling the elf around him until he sat on the desk surface now hot from Neria’s body heat. Naturally sitting in his lap, Neria’s legs wrapped his core and aligned their anatomy perfectly. Gravity did the rest. After her previous orgasm, she naturally slipped down his shaft, groaning in sync with her partner. She stretched around him, surprising with her small size and being. As he surmised, Neria took as well as she gave.

Sliding deeper into her, Cullen kissed her, gently caressing her cheek. Their tongue waltzed together until he fully shelved in her heat. She did not give any hint he caused her discomfort. Although, his lower head did grazed her cervix with one hip roll.

Neria broke from their kissing. “You beautiful thick man…” she rolled her hips, catching Cullen off guard. “I…” She shivered around him as her clitoris rubbed his body just right. “I always thought myself a freak with being tiny everywhere but my vagina.”

Cullen kissed a trail of gentle kisses down her neck, flipping her wild ginger hair out of his way. His other hand massaged her right breast again. “Lucky me…” He suckled her pulse point again.

“My…line.” She mumbled, rolling her hips again. This with more pressure and intention. She swung her legs and feet back beneath her and against Cullen’s thighs. Toes gripping the desk molding, she rolled and slowly climbed up his shaft. The descent aided the gravity, but agonizing too slow for Cullen. Up again, but she moved more with pressure and in sync with his own rolling thrust. Her feet allowed her to lift off his lap, her entrance just barely gripping his head before forcily back down his shaft. The pace continued like this, but with added pressure each roll and grinding. A strong and fantastical exhilarating pace. 

Cullen just allowed her to take control, relishing the feel of her around him. Neria’s perky behind soon received his palms’ attention as he assisted in her lifting. Each vertebrate down her back rolled with their synced and commentary movements.

While with most partners, the first time together never harmonized, but that did not apply with Cullen and Neria now. Maybe it was her magic or just the years they have known one another, but they linked fully deep inside her body again and rolled together even as the pace increased and the force hard and grinding. Both people loved the feel of their coupling. Notes sang with gasps. Moans swallowed by dancing lips and tongues. Mewls and groans echoing like the slapping sound of skin, fat, and muscle.

Cullen’s one hand shifted between them, circling her clitoris again as she bounced in his lap. It was all that needed for her gorgeous crash again. She gripped his face and passionately kissed him through her orgasm, a way of thank her Fereldan lover while clamping around his thick and solid member. Bits of notes and mirth rolled from between their lips. Her red hair curtained their faces while Cullen’s other hand cupped her head. His fingers continued to massage her bundle of nerves, extending her orgasm longer and longer with his head deep inside her canal at the other sensitive collected nerve point. His own was not far behind, but he wanted to hers that mattered right then.

Feeling the clamping relax and the trembling roll up her tattooed spine, Cullen draped her legs around him again. Like jello, they followed his grasp barely able to work under their own power. Her quaking continued again and again each time both points of nerves felt his body’s frictions. Just enough out of the way, he flipped them, resting her back on the desk. The height allowed perfect thrusting inside her with his bare feet planted on the floor. It took a few move hip rolls for him to follow her into euphoria. His scar lips roared into her red puffy hair, while her sweaty face pressed into his pectoral muscles. She bent her back to watch him chase and enjoy his release. Cullen could _feel_ her happiness through it all.

Seconds or hours could have passed and Cullen did not care. His release continued longer than ever before. Her body clamped, massaged, and carried him onward. Maybe by magic, but definitely unique to Neria. He knew all other lovers were rotten in comparison. He wanted no other lover ever again.

Cullen’s own legs turned to jello once falling back to Thedas, Cullen crawled back onto the desk. He minded her hair, brushing it aside, while cupping that smart head who thought of everything and still kept him surprised. They shifted in sync despite his softening shaft slipping from deep inside her. Neria’s cheek remained on his chest until he laid back on the sweaty office desk surface. One freckled leg covered his spent groin. Despite loathing the feel of a used condom around his member, Cullen did not move away, only holding this woman of his reality like to release her was to wake up from a deep sleepy dream.

“…thank you…” She breathed, meeting his hooded gaze. “That was the best…I’ve…”

Cullen kissed where he thought the top of her head tasting salty damp hair. The now frizzy ginger curls made it very difficult to see any of the woman he just made love to or her pointed ears. “One thing about you, Neria, is that you challenge me to do better.”

The elf giggled into his panting sweaty chest. “I think we do that for both of us…”

For a little while, only their slowing breaths and hearts broke the comfortable silence. Cullen knew she could hear his heart’s thumping against her acute elven ears. What he was not clear on was if Neria knew it slowed because he realized he was falling in love with her.

Neria rested her chin on his shoulder, her soft nasal breaths speaking again once fully relaxed. “You know one great thing about Shepard’s Pie? It reheats very well in the oven.”

“Maker, I’m starving!” Cullen moaned, his stomach reminding him all the energy he just used needed replenished. She probably heard it before he even connected the dots, thus her ingenious suggestion.

“Also, I couldn’t help but notice your bed was king-size…” The mage winked at him. “An awesome thing about a hedge mage lover…vines move stuff quickly along with hands.”

“Barkspawn and the others sleep on the floor.” Cullen remarked, leaning forward and sliding off the desk. Neria watched the view as he stepped into the bathroom across the hall. “I can handle a necromantic mabari, but I do have limits.”

“Agreed.” The mage hummed, her sparkling brown eyes ogling the pale Fereldan butt wiggling towards the door. “I’ll pop the food back in the oven. You let the dogs in?”

Before venturing into the bathroom, Cullen peeked back into his office. The sight of a naked Neria laying on her stomach with her ankles crossed over and knees bent upwards made his penis jump happily. His stomach rumbled again, making him hate everything. His whiskey eyes flashed to the light green vallaslin between her shoulder blades.

“A vhenadahl?”

“Good pronunciation.” Neria praised. “Born in an alienage.” She replied, already knowing what he was meaning. “While a gift to get some sort of vallaslin that reflected my magic, I am still a city elf.”

“I heard they created such markings expressing no emotion.” Cullen reflected leaning against the doorframe. “A rite of passage.”

“I cried enough after my parents were gone. Now, I just sing long happy cries during sex.” Neria winked and gave a toothy grin.

“I plan to hear all your cries… _after_ dinner. If you want any repeats, you must _feed_ me.” Cullen added, chuckling. Before the bathroom door closed completely, the former knight enjoyed the sound of his elven lover’s laughter echoing throughout his whole home. 

She was his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I worked desk sex into this. Besides, they are historians. Sex on desks in archives and libraries just happen while researching... ;)


	7. New Morning Routines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER! XD!
> 
> Thank you so much for joining me on this wild journey. I had no plan to even write this short story. However, the path taught me so much and gave me a new goal for 2020. I typically write angsty, passionate, and long stories, but this taught me a great deal about other storytelling avenues. I hope to discover more short stories and sharing them with you all in the future.
> 
> If you enjoyed Neria and Cullen's journey, let me know. I would love to write more with these dorks if the demand is there. In the meantime, please share, leave kudos, and comment. I would love to hear from you!
> 
> THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! ENJOY!
> 
> NSFW! NOT SAFE FOR WORK! NSFW! SMUT AHOY!
> 
> Chapter Song: “Perth” by Bon Iver

Mornings usually reminded Cullen that once again he must get up and face the day. In the past, his mother stomped into his room and pulled her son’s sheets off his body so he could not sleeping in and miss the bus. In the templars, he rushed for the barracks restrooms to shower and shave before his commanding officer came by for inspection. His uniform must be ready for the day, a role model for the men under his command. During the war, some memorable mornings began in an open foxhole and an ambush. 

After retiring from the templars, mornings shifted to blaring light on days Cullen suffered from a waking migraine. If he did not remember setting an alarm, he could wake up startled and have a seizure. Leaving the house meant still looking professional just not in a pressed uniform, but comfortable slacks and his professor elbow-patch blazer. 

To combat Cullen’s post-injuries ailments, he changed his morning routines so he woke up earlier but slowly. The alarm must be placed in his office to not startle himself. He bought black-out curtains for his bedroom so if he woke with a migraine the morning eastern sun did not agitate his brain. Everything he needed to shower, shave, and wear laid out on his dresser so all he had to do was pick up the item and use it. No hunting or scrambling permitted. 

Alas, Cullen might shift his morning routine again but for very positive reasons. 

The blond professor woke up early as usual about five minutes before his phone alarm for a weekday. His body easily shifted back to his academic scheduling after his year-long sabbatical. During that previous year, his circadian rhythm did not know which time zone he was in most of the time. Routine was safe and predictable.

However, the surprising sight beside him reminded Cullen he enjoyed the chaotic person now a pivotal part of his practical life. He appreciated shock and detours to routines now more than ever, especially if such choices rewarded him such morning blessings.

_She_ caused chaos in his life. His measures to avoid the blaring sun forgotten because his attention last night was to clear off his king-size bed and explore her body on a more comfortable surface than his desktop. That meant the eastern sun glimmered into his whiskey eyes. However, the sun rays also streamed through her frizzy curly hair turning the ginger strains a golden strawberry blonde.

Waking up before his alarm allowed the professor to watch this elven goddess beside him sleep contently on her stomach. Her arms curled around one of his body pillows. The position compacted her breasts from underneath. Each long breaths rose her body so her vallaslin sparkled with her freckles between her shoulder blades.

Rubbing his face against his pillow told the Fereldan his jaw and cheeks were covered in long whiskers that always required shaving every day. However, that rush to be professional stalled as his mind reminded him the sounds this beautiful woman gasped once he licked her clean again mid-night when she awoke him kissing his neck. The sandpaper abrasion flushed her cheeks, but she relished the texture first against her own neck and later against her thighs and southern lips while screaming his name. That particular midnight round finally tuckered her out.

Cassandra would call Neria Surana and Cullen Rutherford Ying and Yang. He was calm, predictable spring day. She brought the raging storms, whipping winds of surprise and no path onward. All Cullen could do over the years was hang on as the elf weaved her mayhem. Somehow, the outcome was always perfect. 

Admitting it to himself now, the ex-templar loved every minute his world flew off-course. Neria acted like a Category Five Hurricane whose eye shined like a sunny day. If one could weather the tornados and storm surge, an individual would meet the Maker in that majestic eye. Cullen did not care he was a land-lover on a makeshift dingy in her swirling storms, he was holding on tight to embrace that sunshine like the morning rays through her messy hair.

Cullen did not register he was even doing it until moving the fifth curl. As a fellow curly haired person, one does not simply comb the curls until they had a way to calm the frizz. Instead, if a person wanted to touch the hairs, one must move the whole curl to not break apart the twists. As much as Cullen’s whole psyche wanted to comb her curls, he just gently moved them away from her freckled face half-pressed into the pillow and drooling all over the sheets.

Neria must have felt the frizz tickling brushing her freckled cheeks because she groaned and flicked the curls away, but remained asleep. Her quick movements and slight leg kicks slipped the cotton sheets off her behind until only one leg remained covered. Unlike on his desk where she giggled and challenged the man frustratingly, Cullen could observe her petite form in peace. The freckles down her back and rounding her lower cheeks looked like the Thedas night sky. 

Cullen remembered in a study hall Neria laying on her stomach while their bored classmates played that dot-line-square game just with her freckles. During that junior year, he sat on the other side of the classroom, grumbling about how Surana did not need to study and just glared at the young woman he thought did not have a care in the world.

To go back and slap that hot-headed self-centered sophomoric younger self…

If Cullen played such a game now, he would connect those red-brown dots with a silver or green pen and make constellations like those strange astrariums machines dotting southern medieval Thedas. With each constellation, maybe Cullen will receive great treasure beyond what this woman already rewarded him several times through the last few months. Heck, last night alone.

The Fereldan could not help it, his index finger created Judex the Sword of Mercy and Fervenial the Oak along her lower back. He always struggled in science, but space fascinated him. He imagined other worlds staring down at Thedas with more races still unknown to understand and discover. That was why his adolescent mind always equated Neria becoming an engineer and building a rocket to send up beyond their solar system. She masterly presented science and the stars during Kinloch Hold High’s annual science fair. She always won first place. Neria just slightly smiled at the blue ribbon with no parent or guardian to praise her, but she beamed when Cullen begrudgingly congratulated her.

_Thank you_ , Neria would whisper before her bullish ways snapped back on tossing nicknames and cackling at him. Her brown eyes sparkled as her mana swirled inside her. Her lips pursed in a gentle smile like Cullen told her the greatest news.

“I did not know I had Eluvia over my left kidney.”

Cullen’s whiskey eyes flashed up to meet Neria’ lazy gaze behind half-lids. Her ears kept the swept back curls out of her face so her content expression shined brighter than the sun. Her relaxed bare state fluttered the former knight’s warming heart.

“I’m pretty sure you have Toth on your rump.” Cullen quipped back with a perked brow. 

Both pair of eyes flashed to her pale behind uncovered from the sheets. “Show me…” She dared with a wicked smile.

Cullen shifted in bed enough that his chin could rest on a butt cheek. Neria only twisted her upper half, propping her elbow against the body pillow. Cullen began his connections to display the freckled constellation. His index finger touch resembled a feather, rising gooseflesh across her lower soft and slender body. The last freckle laid between her behind cheeks. He kept his pointing there, grasping that rounded behind with his remaining fingers and thumb. He kissed the fatty tissue at its high point before smirking up at the heavy breathing elf occupying his bed.

“Educational…” She whispered between excited wispy breaths. “You should have played the line-box game with us in high school.”

“You showed this fantastic behind then too?” Cullen quizzed, hovering over the rump like he would never share.

Neria rolled her big brown eyes. “I might have streaked a few times in drama, but I would have only shown _you_ my ass in such a setting.”

“As moronic as I was, I would have turned you down. Even if I knew your teasing was out of care or likeness.” Cullen admitted, kissing the other cheek. She nodded, thankful for his respect for symmetry and natural cycle. “Such affections and female presentation,” He waved to the naked woman lounging in his bed. “scared the tar out of me.”

“I know.” Neria confirmed, brushing a few loose curls from his brow. His usually tame hair was probably a frizzy explosion after how Neria fluffed it over their night activities. Yet another thing his mornings required before leaving the house, but he had little care for such acts today. Anything that separated him from this lounging forest nymph he will reject. “I might have vine-whipped and tied up some devious classmates back then who wanted to pen you to a wall and suck you off without even a care if you wanted such attention.”

“Is that why you got detention that one spring, and Lula Applegarth refused to return to school until you were either expelled or made tranquil?” Cullen wondered, each word separated by a kiss up her pelvis and spine.

“That bitch had a score sheet of all the guys she blew.” Neria growled through her nose like even mentioning her name offended Neria even today. “You were the only guy she could not attract on the track team. Overheard the witch and her slutty cunt friends making a plan. They never registered what they proposed was sexual assault. I told them. They told me to bugger off. I flung one of my vine spiders at her, knowing she was terrified of magic and spiders, and the thing trapped her until the gym teacher found her in the showers three house later.”

Cullen chuckled. “My hero.”

Neria shrugged. “The administration considered expelling me. I refused to say who she would assault, thus making _me_ the bad guy. Being a mage and an elf put a target on my back.”

“Not anymore.” Cullen vowed, pulling her downward beneath him until their lips touched. “One wrong word about you, and I’ll kill the person.”

Neria ran her fingers across his stubble jaw. “While charming, it won’t stop racists, Cullen. Besides, how am I to bed you while you sit on death row?”

The male professor huffed and shook his head. “I should have protected you, Neri. I’ve wasted decades with false beliefs and Chantry bullshit. I refuse to waste another moment with you.”

Blush colored her fairer facial features. “We never wasted those moments. It was just another step closer to this. I would not trade away any moment before that could rewrite waking up in your bed.”

Cullen could not stop the words. He will never stop and dally on a single thing regarding this beauty nymph in his arms. “I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Neria grinned before leaning forward and kissing his scarred lip. “Always a second behind. I’m already in love with you. Again.”

Cullen kissed her bony spine, her body still twisted so her vallaslin presented in his periphery. “Good to know.” His lips grazed the sensitive green tattooed skin. Neria trembled at the contact. “Like your ears?”

Neria threw him a look, challenging the smug smirk on his face. “Different. Vallaslin is woven with magic during the tattooing process. When done to mages, it’s like a link to their deepest magic. With each kiss, I feel it in my soul.”

“Is it…too much?” Cullen asked, concerned he overstepped in his affection.

The elf briefly smiled. “No, more afraid my magic will startle you with the involuntary vibrations…”

“Yes, your magic made me believe you were a demon for decades.” He kissed the tattoo again, feeling a bit of mana bleed from within the elf. “Now, it’s like the shade of a tall old tree on a hot blistering day.” His kisses followed the intricate tattoo branches entwining itself while his fingers followed her bare smooth legs.

Neria untwisted herself, giving him access and control. “Are you sure you aren’t an English professor with how you just weave your words?” She moaned, then gasped as his hand swirled up her inner thigh to open her legs for him.

Cullen continued licking the tattooed lines interwoven with her freckles between her shoulder blades, while his fingers tentatively tested her arousal. She definitely enjoyed his attentions, her entrance already slick and waiting. “I’m definitely no word smith.” His middle finger encircled her, wetting it with her nectar before exploring more of her.

No response rolled from Neria’s lips, only her back arced as his stubble tickled the vallaslin. She laid speechless. His cock stiffened against his thigh as one finger slipped inside her and another flicked against that bundle of nerves.

“Do you still have condoms left…?” Neria sighed, one eye gazing through her fluffy hair to meet his whiskey smugness.

“Always thinking ahead despite mucking up the road leading there.” Cullen commented with a nervous chuckle. Only moving so far and never stopping his buried finger inside her, Cullen rolled over to his end stand. After clearing the bed, Cullen moved the much-needed supplies nearby. It was a good thing especially Neria slightly waking him for an early morning tryst. “Definitely need to resupply today.”

Neria giggled before moaning when he buried a second finger inside. “I’ll make an appointment with my doctor Monday.” Her brown eyes shined at him. “Unless I’m thinking too-“

Cullen surged forward and kissed her passionately. He did not care half of her hair covered her face; he needed to kiss and love this woman. “Still haven’t changed my desires, woman.” He declared against her hair and lips.

“Good-“  Neria shoved him down on his back. Because of her tiny height, even leaning over him and kissing, he still had more than enough arm length to keep fingers buried inside her. “Because I will do what Lula Applegarth only dreamed about.”

Instantly, his cock twitched and filled with blood. Neria scurried to the side, her groin still available for his twitching hand. Her breaths and hips hitched when Cullen purposefully rubbed or flick her clitoris. She reached for the hairband still around her wrist from the night before. Her mass of ginger and curls twisted into a ponytail.

“You make me think you are a man who enjoys _watching_ such actions?” She hypothesized. 

She gasped and gripped his leg when he turned his fingers inside her. Cullen chuckled. “I have to watch you for any tricks.”

Neria’s breaths tickled the coarse hairs brushing his groin, penis, and balls. She did not touch him with her hands, keeping them dug into his left thigh. Instead, that long cunning tongue rolled out of her lips and barely glanced the hairs and skin. Cullen growled deep into his throat, but his eyes never left the terror exploring him. She did not react to a smell or their previous activities, only grazed her tongue against one sack then the other. Cullen all but forgot his fingers remained buried inside her canal. His attention now just mentally begged for that tongue to not just glance his mushroom head or tease around his coarse hairs around his pelvis and thigh. All the while, his shaft filled to the brim with excess blood until hard and thick standing at attention.

Cullen melted into the mattress as her tongue tip followed the whole length from him base to head. She followed it down the other side, slicking the entire thing with her saliva. At the tip, her teeth grazed like in a bite just to catch him off guard. Uncontrollably, his fingers inside her buried deeper, which shocked her. A cycle of ecstasy indeed.

Then Neria dipped her mouth around the mushroom head, salvia wetting the region before enveloping the top half. She kept sucking lower, her tongue lapping up what she could. One hand left his thigh, cupping his balls before settling on the base of his shaft. Again, his fingers moved involuntarily inciting a long note from her throat that vibrated around him.

Now, Cullen had a goal. Just as long as his mind had enough oxygen. He shifted his buried fingers inside his lower so his thumb could massage her clitoris. Once finding his prize, he encircled it at a slow, frustrating pace. Neria mewled around him, sucking hard as she began to bob up and down. Her lips never left his shaft. Her tongue worked him as her hand met those plump red lips on ever deepest drive around him.

Cullen groaned at the sensation, his body fighting his control to not fuck her mouth and let her have fun. He did the same to her the night before. She was finally taking what had always been hers, what she risked her life to achieve from protecting him from those high school sluts. All the while, his fingers took more of her juices and slicken her clitoris. Press on her, thus responding pressure around his cock.

“Fuck, Neria…” Cullen grunted, her teeth following the lips around his shaft. He tensed, but more to not accidently explode than in fear she will harm him. A long song tumbled from her throat and around him as his thumb flicked at her. Her throat relaxed and took more of him before bobbing up and down again. The pop at the end when her mouth left nearly made him lose it right there.

Cullen withdrew his fingers from her and dove from the end stand. “It’s either your mouth or your cunt…” His baritone wavered, searching for his foiled prize. “I want to fuck you into the sheets!”

Neria just giggled behind him, watching like an eager player cat as he wiped away her saliva and unrolled the condom around himself. Her eyes blew wide when he grasped her around the waist and pressed back against his chest. “Cul-“  She sang a soprano note as he thrusted up deep inside her from behind. She gasped, but clawed his arms as her whole body trembled.

Spooning her from behind, Cullen began his loving assault, not slow but primal and hard. Neria just kept her behind pressed against him while undoing ponytail. Her wild hair tickled his chest. Something about her ginger twists just spurred Cullen on more like they were uncivilized mates fucking wherever they wanted. So primordial as he plunged deep inside of her before sliding completely out to cycle again. Her face tilted to watch his flushed expressions and guttural moans, her fingernails clawing and hanging onto his biceps.

The first dozen thrust were as spooning. Then as Cullen picked up the pace, he angled so he was kneeling over her. Nera followed where his pace directed, never wanting to lose the member unrelentingly ramming her from behind. She pressed her breasts into the pillows and angled her bottom higher in the air so Cullen’s pawing hands used her hips as grips. Her legs spread wide and begging for Cullen’s pounding. 

Neria could have muffled her cries and begging, but she did not. The chaos queen knew the ex-templar loved every vocalization ringing from her mouth. She made sure if he looked beneath her, he could see her breasts bouncing on the thrusting impacting, nipples brushing the sheet in sync with his withdraws.

“Touch yourself, my Hurricane.” Cullen demanded in a deep rich tone, his speed so quick now that both people will be raw and sore for days. Neria did as ordered, her left hand playing with herself, while her right reached between her legs to rolled and grasp his swinging balls. Cullen was not expecting the extra attention, nearly losing his load before she found her release. Still, watching her circle and twerk herself, her fingers nimble and covered in their nectars did something to Cullen. He will lick them clean afterwards.

The pulsing inside her cunt quickened, but did not clamp, meaning she was not at her edge. Their bodies so in sync with their passions only after a few rolls in the sheets. Cullen knew what to do, towering over his elven lover and licking her magical vallaslin.

The shriek exploding from Neria’ lips must have alerted the neighbors. Her orgasm overruled the ones from the night before. Her fingers worked her clitoris as his stubble and lips followed those tattooed lines again. The light bulb in the end stand lamp exploded from her mana release. Cullen continued to pump deep inside her, her squeezing around his penis too much to handle.

Two more deep pulses and Cullen chased her over the edge. Her fingers still rolled his sacks as they poured their contents into her and the condom. He flicked her other hand away, extending her release with his own clitoral massages and twisting. They made harmonies with their enraptured song. There was no doubt Cullen’s neighbors knew exactly what he did on a Sunday morning.

Neria collapsed first into a heap of sweat, nectar, and exhaustion beneath him before Cullen followed behind. His larger sweaty body cocooned her. His long arms encircled her tiny form, hugging and kissing her neck and purple cheeks like worshipping a goddess. Like before on the desk, it took several minutes from their minds to clear, heart rates relax, and breathing to shift from panting to relief.

“Is it just me…” Neria murmured into the pillow supporting her head. “Or did we top last night’s run already?”

Cullen busted out laughing. “I think you’re right.”

Neria glanced over her shoulder, ginger hair now moist and tangled. “Your Maker, what’s next because I’m pretty sure I’m orgasmic goo on your sheets now.”

Cullen’s laughter roared, holding this sweaty beautiful woman close to his chest again. He kissed her cheek. “This whole room smells of sex. I love it like I love you.”

Neria met his whiskey gaze. “No longer thinking about it?”

“Nope. I’m in love with you.” Cullen admitted with warm words and an open heart.

Neria beamed like she never thought such a day would arrive. “I hate condoms, by the way.”

“Oh…?”

She nodded. “I want to _feel_ you…” Her breath tickled and cooled his pale skin. “Doctor’s ASAP.”

“Or not.”

The elf threw him a scared by hopeful look. “Moving kinda fast there, Rutherfart.”

Cullen cupped her cheek. “I’ve wasted over two decades already.”

The mage kissed her lover. “There is no need to rush though. We won’t waste any more time. Your first book needs to be your baby before an actual living being. Need a better paycheck and all.”

_Woof._

Both adults glanced at the door. Three mabaris stared at the couple with food bowls in their mouths. Even Barkspawn looked annoyed at the moment.

“Besides, we have enough headaches at the moment.” Neria frowned at the war hounds threatening to jump up on the bed.

Cullen nodded. “I think you’re right.” He kissed her messy head. “But one’s already dead. He just don’t know it yet.”

Barkspawn showed his teeth.

“Well, you are!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap! Thank you all for reading. If you like to explore some of my other works, check out my [AO3 page here!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thejeeperswife) Stop by [my tumblr](https://thejeeperswife.tumblr.com/) for more fantastic posts and other fun!
> 
> Thank you! You all are the greatest! XD!


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